UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

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Received  iCnj'  .  {9°O  • 

Accession  No.    Q /  6  9 j£    •    Class  No. 


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UFOB^  "•- 


HISTORICAL  SERIES— BOOK  III  PART  I 


STORIES 


OF    OUR    COUNTRY 


COMPILED   AND   ARRANGED 

BY     JAMES    JO HO N NOT 


NEW  YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 

AMERICAN     BOOK    COMPANY 


1 


COPYRIGHT,  1887, 
BY  D.   APPLETON   AND  COMPANY. 

E-P   2 


PEE  FACE. 


THE  Icelanders,  who  live  amid  the  cold  and  desolation 
of  almost  perpetual  winter,  have  a  proverb  which  says 
that  "  Iceland  is  the  best  land  the  sun  shines  upon."  In 
spite  of  all  their  hardships  and  privations,  they  cherish 
an  intense  love  of  country,  and,  when  transported  to  more 
genial  climes,  many  a  poor  exile  has  pined  away  his  life 
from  pure  home-sickness.  The  Icelander  loves  his  coun 
try,  not  for  what  it  produces,  not  for  its  beauty,  not  for 
its  riches,  but  because  it  is  his  home.  In  the  little  hut, 
half  buried  in  the  snow,  he  was  born,  and  there  he 
grew  up  under  the  watchful  providence  of  mother-love. 
Around  him  were  loving  kindred — father,  brothers,  sis 
ters,  grandparents,  and  all — and  in  this  spot,  where  home- 
love  was  born,  are  concentrated  the  profounder  emotions 
of  his  nature.  But  the  home  reaches  out  to  other  homes, 
and  patriotism,  or  love  of  country,  is  born  and  becomes  a 
dominating  sentiment  in  his  heart  and  brain. 

This  sentiment  of  love  of  country  and  loyalty  to  its 
interests  is  not  the  monopoly  of  a  nation  or  a  race,  but 
belongs  to  all  men  and  all  ages.  Having  its  birth  at  the 
fireside,  it  is  nurtured  by  the  story  of  the  daring,  the 
suffering,  the  courage,  and  the  endurance  which  made 


4  PREFACE. 

homes  possible.  Whether  heard  from  grandfather's  knee 
or  read  from  books,  no  child  ever  tires  of  such  stories, 
and  there  grows  up  within  him  a  resolve  that  the  bless 
ings  which  cost  so  much  shall  be  preserved.  This  form 
of  pure  patriotism  may  be  greatly  stimulated  by  work  in 
school. 

By  the  use  of  this  little  work  the  pupil  has  all  the  aids 
to  reading  which  characterize  ordinary  reading-books — 
lessons  for  practice,  variety  in  style,  and  all  the  necessities 
of  elementary  elocution.  Besides  these,  he  gets  all  the 
interest  that  the  story  excites,  the  knowledge  which  it  un 
folds,  and  the  sentiment  which  it  imparts,  and  the  read 
ing-lesson  becomes  a  potent  force  in  mental  and  moral 
development. 

The  spirit  of  adventure  shown  by  the  old  navigators  ; 
the  hardy  endurance  of  the  early  settlers  ;  the  sturdy  in 
dependence  of  their  sons ;  and  the  wise  and  unseliish 
patriotism  of  Washington  and  his  compatriots,  can  not 
fail  to  inspire  a  love  for  this  America  of  ours  which 
will  cherish  its  virtues,  remove  its  imperfections,  and  pro 
tect  it  from  all  enemies,  without  and  within. 


OONTENTSc 


I.  Ponce  de  Leon 

II.  De  Soto 

III.  John  Smith  and  Pocal.ontis 

IV,  Henry  Hudson. 

V.  Massasoit • 

VI.  Roger  Williams •    

VII.  King  Philip 

VIII.  The  Indian  Bible 

IX.  The  Three  Regicides 

X.  Deerfield  and  the  St.  Regis  Bell 

XI.  The  Charter-Oak 60 

XII.  Witchcraft 

XIII.  The  Acadian  Exiles 

XIV.  William  Penn  and  the  Indians 72 

XV.  The  Pine- Tree  Shillings 77 

XVI..  The  Old  French  War 81 

XVII.  George  Washington 85 

XVIII.  Patrick  Henry 

XIX.  Israel  Putnam 98 

XX.  The  Youth  of  Franklin 108 

XXI.  John  Paul  Jones 115 

XXII.  The  Awakening • •  •  •   123 

XXIII.  General  Marion 126 

XXIV.  Washington  crossing  the  Delaware . . . .   131 


5  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

XXV.  Ethan  Allen  and  Ticonderoga 135 

XXVI.  Valley  Forge 140 

XXVII.  Burgoyrie  and  Saratoga 146 

XXVIII.  The  Baroness  Riedesel 151 

XXIX.  Arnold  and  Andre 155 

XXX.  Champe 160 

XXXI.  Stony  Point 106 

XXXII.  Yorktovvn 170 

XXXIII.  Perry  and  Lake  Erie ...    177 

XXXI V.  The  Star-Spangled  Banner 187 

XXXV.  Battle  of  New  Orleans. '...  192 

XXXVI.  Buena  Vista. .                                                    199 


TJTNIV 

^FOH^ 

STOKIES  OF  OUK  OOUNTKY. 


PONCE   DE  LEON. 

lo  ONE  of  the  companions  of  Columbus  in  his 
voyage  of  discovery  was  Ponce  de  Leon.  He  \vas 
the  first  Governor  of  Porto  Rico,  a  small  island 
sixty  miles  east  of  Hayti,  and  he  it  was  who  sailed 
on  a  voyage  of  discovery  among  the  Bahamas  in 
search  of  the  fabled  Fountain  of  Youth.  There 
was  a  story  abroad  in  Porto  Rico,  and  it  had  be 
fore  been  told  and  widely  believed  in  Old  Spain, 
that  somewhere  there  was  a  clear  spring,  the  waters 
of  which  were  bubbling  up  in  the  midst  of  a  vast 
forest,  and  that  he  who  should  bathe  in  these 
waters  would  have  his  youth  restored,  and  his  ug 
liness  would  be  turned  into  beauty.  It  was  thought 
that  this  spring  existed  upon  an  island  among  the 
Bahamas. 

2.  De  Leon  was  an  old  man,  and  wanted  to 
become  young.  Impressed  with  the  truth  of  the 
story,  he  sought  that  wonderful  fountain.  After 
cruising  awhile  among  the  Bahamas,  he  landed 
on  the  peninsula  of  Florida,  in  the  harbor  of  St. 


8  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

Augustine.  It  was  Palm-Sunday  when  he  landed. 
That  day  is  called  by  the  Spaniards  Pasqua  de 

f  lores ;  and  it  so  hap 
pened  that  at  the  time  of 
this  landing  it  was  the 
spring  season,  and  flow 
ers  were  blooming  on 
every  side.  Very  appro 
priately,  therefore,  on  ac 
count  of  Palm  -  Sunday, 
and  the  floral  display 
\  S  about  him,  De  Leon  called 

the  land  Florida. 
Ponce  de  Leon,  3.  He  supposed  Flor 

ida  to  be  an  island  like 

Cuba,  and  he  took  possession  of  it  in  the  name  of 
the  Spanish  monarch.  Feeling  that  he  ought  not 
to  make  further  conquests  without  a  royal  com 
mission,  he  sailed  for  Spain  to  obtain  one.  But 
he  had  failed  to  find  the  Fountain  of  Youth.  He 
had  plunged  into  every  stream  and  pond,  hoping 
to  rise  from  it  young  and  blooming ;  but  he  only 
grew  older,  and  began  to  enter  upon  his  second 
childhood.  He  was  afterward  appointed  Governor 
of  Florida,  and  was  killed  while  on  an  expedition 
against  the  natives. 

4.  After  his  death,  no  one  ever  directly  searched 
for  the  Fountain  of  Youth,  yet  the  story  was  gen- 


DE  SOTO.  9 

erally  believed,  and  many  an  adventurer,  while 
searching  for  gold,  kept  his  eye  out  for  the  magic 
spring.  At  first,  it  was  supposed  to  be  near  the 
coast,  but  afterward  it  was  said  to  be  situated  in 
the  very  center  of  the  peninsula.  But,  while 
many  a  head  has  grown  gray  in  Florida  explora 
tion,  there  is  no  record  that  any  baths  in  the  land 
of  flowers  have  ever  yet  changed  the  wrinkles  of 
age  into  the  smooth  skin  of  youth. 


II. 

DE  SOTO. 

1.  "  IN  the  year  1538,  Fernando  de  Soto  planned 
an  expedition  to  explore  the  interior  of  Florida,  as 
all  North  America  was  then  called,  in  search  of 
El  Dorado,  a  populous  and  wealthy  region  sup 
posed  to  exist  there.  By  permission  of  the  Span 
ish  monarch,  he  undertook  the  exploration  and 
conquest  of  Florida  at  his  own  risk  and  expense. 
He  was  commissioned  governor  -  general  of  that 
country  and  of  Cuba  for  life.  Leaving  his  wife 
to  govern  Cuba  during  his  absence,  he  sailed,  in 
June,  1539,  and  landed  at  Tampa  Bay  with  a  force 
of  six  hundred  men  in  complete  armor. 


10  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

2.  "  There  lie  established  a  small  garrison,  and 
then  sent  most  of  the  vessels  of  his  fleet  back  to 
Cuba.     He  found  a  Spaniard  who  had   learned 
the  native  language.     Taking  him  with  him  as  in 
terpreter,  De  Soto  marched  with  his  force  into  the 
interior.     For  five  months  they  wandered  among 
the  swamps  and   Everglades,  fighting  their  way 
against  the  natives,  when  they  reached  the  fertile 
regions  of  the  Flint  River,  in  the  western  part  of 
Georgia.     There  they  passed  the  winter,  within  a 
few  leagues  of  the  Gulf,  making,  through  exploring 
parties,  some  new  discoveries,  among  which  was 
the  harbor  of  Pensacola. 

3.  "  Early  in  May  they  broke  up  their  encamp 
ment,    and,  marching   northeasterly,  reached   the 
head-waters  of  the  Savannah  River.    After  a  brief 
tarry  there,  they  turned  their  faces  westward,  and, 
on   the   2 8 tli  of  October,  came   upon    a  fortified 
town,  near  the  junction  of  the  Alabama  and  Tom- 
bigbee   Rivers.     A  battle  of  nine  hours'  duration 
ensued.     Thousands   of   the   half -naked   Indians 
were   slain,   and  their  village   reduced  to    ashes. 
Several  of  the  mailed  Spaniards  were  killed,  and 
the  victory  availed  De  Soto  nothing.    All  his  bag 
gage  was  consumed,  and  much  provision  was  de 
stroyed. 

4.  "  The  wild  tribes,  for  many  leagues  around, 
were  aroused  bv  this  event,     De  Soto  went  into 


DE  SO  TO. 


11 


winter-quarters  in  a  deserted  Indian  village  on  the 
Yazoo  There  he  was  attacked  by  the  swarming 
natives,  bent  on  revenge. 
The  town  was  burned,  all 
the  clothing  of  the  Span 
iards,  together  with  many 
horses  and  nearly  all  the 
swine  which  they  brought 
from  Cuba,  were  destroyed 
or  carried  away,  and  sev 
eral  of  the  whites  were 
killed.  Early  in  the 
spring,  the  shorn  invaders 
pushed  westward,  and  dis 
covered  the  Mississippi  or 
Great  River, 

5.  "  They  had  marched  for  months,  ever  strain 
ing  their  wearied  eyes  for  a  gladsome  sight  of  the 
Hidden  River,  when,  on  a  bright  summer  morning 
in  June,  1541,  the  coveted  goal  was  at  last  reached, 
As  their  foremost  horsemen  broke  from  the  for 
est,  and  eagerly  galloped  up  a  gentle  slope,  they 
found  themselves  suddenly  upon  a  steep  bluff,  and 
at  their  feet  rolled  the  waters  of  a  mighty  river, 
such  as  their  eyes  had  never  yet  beheld  in  this 
world.  Their  hearts  were  too  full  of  gratitude, 
we  are  told,  to  utter  words  of  thanks,  or  even  of 
wonder.  They  halted  and  gazed  at  the  great  mys* 


12  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

tery  till  their  eyes  overflowed  and  their  pent-up 
feelings  escaped  in  one  great  cry  of  delight. 

6.  "The  river,  it  is  said,   was  almost  half  a 
league  wide.     If  a  man  stood  still  on  the  other 
side,  it  could  not  be  decided  whether  he  was  a 
man  or  not.     The  river  was  of  great  depth,  and  of 
a  strong  current ;  the  water  was  always  muddy  ; 
there  came   clown  the   stream,  continually,  many 
trees   and   timber.     Two   hundred   canoes,  laden 
with  armed  and  painted   Indians,   came   dashing 
down  the  current  to  greet  the   new-comers ;  the 
chieftain's  boat,  gorgeously  appareled,  led  the  gay 
procession,  and  every  canoe  was  bright  with  wav 
ing  plumes  and  clanging  shields. 

7.  "  The  delighted  Spaniards  eagerly  drank  in 
the  rare  sight.     They  looked  with  fierce  covetous- 
ness  at  the  populous  towns  that  dotted  the  coun 
try,  and  at  the  mighty  river  that  was  to  be  their 
key  to  the  land  of  gold.     For  many  months  they 
sailed  on  its  waters,  and  marched  along  its  banks, 
wintering  within  sight  of  the  river.     But  another 
great  tragedy  was  approaching,  to  add  new  gloom 
and  new  mystery  to  the  annals  of  the  Hidden 
River.     In  the  following  spring  De  Soto  fell  sick, 
refused  to  yield  to  the  advice  of  his  friends  and 
the  promptings  of  Nature,  and  died. 

8.  "Who   can  tell  the  deep  grief,  the  over 
whelming  sense  of  desolation  that  his  death  caused 


DE  80TO.  13 

in  the  hearts  of  his  followers,  his  faithful  friends  ? 
Decimated  by  disease  and  constant  warfare ; 
stripped  of  all  comforts  —  of  their  wonted  food, 
and  even  of  scanty  clothing;  weighed  down  by 
grief  for  the  lost  ones,  and  by  sore  fears  for  the 
future,  they  were  suddenly  robbed  of  their  leader, 


Death  of  De  Soto. 


who  had  watched  over  them  with  fatherly  care,  en 
couraged  them  by  his  example,  and  cheered  them 
by  his  indomitable  spirit.  The  happiest  issue,  the 
brightest  hope  they  had  dared  to  cherish,  was  tc 


i4  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

float  down  the  mysterious  river  through  hosts  of 
hostile  nations,  to  be  carried,  they  knew  not 
whither. 

9.  "  But  first  they  had   to  perform  their  last 
solemn  duty  to  the  beloved  chieftain  ;  to  secure 
his  remains  against  the  fierce  hatred  and  bitter  re 
venge  of  the  Indians.     At  a  place  not  far,  proba 
bly,  from  the  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  they  cut  down  a 
gigantic  oak-tree,  carefully  hollowed  out  the  im 
mense  trunk,  and  in  this  strange  coffin  deposited 
the  body  of  their  great  leader.     Then,  on  a  dark 
and  gloomy  night,  with  the  cross  leading  them  on 
ward,  and  unspeakable  grief  in  their  hearts,  they 
marched  in  solemn  procession  to  the  river-bank. 
Not  a  word  was  heard  save  the  low  chanting  of 
the  priest.     The  very  voices  of  Nature  seemed  to 
be  hushed,  and  only  the  steady,  unceasing  surge 
of  the  sullen  waters  filled  the  air  with  its  low, 
murmuring  sounds. 

10.  "Thus  they  reached  a  tongue  of  land  jut 
ting  out  into  the  river,  and  forcing  it  to  narrow  its 
channel  and  to  deepen  its  bed,  and  here,  in  a  place 
where  the  waters  were  nineteen  fathoms  deep,  they 
deposited  all  that  remained  of  their  great  chieftain, 
to  rest  there,  safe  from  the  scent  of  brutes  and  the 
passions  of  men,  till  his  soul  was  to  reawaken  on 
the  banks  of  '  a  pure  river  of  water  of  life.'    Thus 
the  discoverer  of  the  Mississippi  sleeps  beneath 


JOHN  SMITH  AND   POCAHONTAS.  15 

its  waters,  adding  another  mystery  to  the  many 
that  give  the  Hidden  River  such  charms  in  the 
eyes  of  philosophers  and  historians." 

Romance  of  History. 


III. 
JOHN    SMITH    AND    POCAHONTAS. 

1.  NEARLY  one  hundred  years  had  gone  by 
since  the  discovery  of  Columbus  before  the  Eng 
lish  made  any  attempt  to  form  a  settlement  in 
America.  In  the  year  1585  a  ship-load  of  men 
were  sent  out  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  in  part  to 
found  a  colony  and  in  part  to  search  for  gold. 
They  landed  on  Roanoke  Island,  in  Albemarle 
Sound,  on  the  coast  of  North  Carolina.  But  they 
proved  to  be  a  faint-hearted  people,  for  the  next 
year  they  all  returned  home.  In  1587  Sir  Walter 
sent  another  expedition  to  the  same  point,  and 
the  foundation  of  a  city  was  laid.  When  search 
was  made  for  the  settlers  a  year  later  they  could 
not  be  found,  and  to  this  day  their  fate  is  un 
known,  but  it  is  supposed  that  they  were  mur 
dered  by  the  Indians.  Some  eighteen  years  later 
a  more  successful  enterprise  was  formed,  and  the 
first  permanent  settlement  was  effected. 


16  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

2.  "On  December  19,  1606, three  small  vessels 
glide  down  the  river  Thames,  spreading  their  sails 
for  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic.     There  are  two 
hundred   and  five   persons  on  board   the  vessel. 
They  are  leaving  England  to  found  a  state  in  a 
wilderness  thousands  of  miles  away.     Of  the  par 
ty,  four  are  carpenters,  twelve  laborers,  and  forty- 
eight  gentlemen,  who  look  upon  labor  as  a  degrad 
ing  occupation.     One  of  the  gentlemen  is  Captain 
John  Smith,  who  is  not  thirty  years  of  age,  but 
who  has  had  an  adventurous  life.     He  was  born 
only  a  short  distance   from  where  Dr.  Wycliffe 
lived,  in  1576. 

3.  "  When  he  was  a  school-boy  he  had  such  a 
longing  to  be  a  sailor  that  he  sold  his  books  and 
satchel  to  get  money  enough  to  go  to  sea ;  but 
just  then  his  father  died,  and  left  him  a  good  deal 
of  money,  and  he  concluded  to  remain  in  England 
and  be  a  merchant.     He  was  a  headstrong  boy, 
and  so  wild  and  reckless  that  his  friends  were 
glad  when  he  entered  the  service  of  Lord  Wil- 
loughby,  who  sent   him  to   France  with  his   son 
Penguin.     He  did  not  get  on  very  well  with  his 
patron,  who  soon  dismissed  him,  giving  him  money 
enough  to  get  back  to  England  ;  but  John,  instead 
of  going  home,  enlisted  with  the  Dutch  to  fight 
the  Spaniards." 

4.  After  being  shipwrecked  on  his  return  to 


JOHN  SMITH  AND   POCAHONTAS.  17 

England,  he  was  introduced  by  Mr.  David  Hume 
to  King  James.  As  the  king  had  nothing  for  .him 
to  do,  he  built  a  hut  in  the  forest,  and  began  to 
study  military  science,  that  he  might  become  a 
general.  Discontented  with  this  life,  he  sailed  for 
Germany,  to  serve  the  emperor  in  fighting  the 
Turks.  In  France  he  is  robbed  of  all  his  money. 
On  his  way  to  Italy  he  is  thrown  overboard  by  the 
Pilgrims  on  the  ship,  who  regarded  John  as  a 
Jonah,  because  he  was  a  heretic.  But  he  swam 
ashore  and  joined  the  "  Fiery  Legion  "  of  the  Aus 
trian  army. 

5.  After  several  duels  and  hand-to-hand  fights 
with  the  Turks,  he  was  at  last  captured  and  sent 
by  a  pasha  to  the  shore  of  the  Black  Sea,  where 
he  is  set  at  thrashing  wheat,  with  an  iron  collar 
riveted  about  his  neck.     When  one  day  the  pasha 
rode  to  see  him  he  was  thrashing  with  his  flail. 
The  Turk  cut  him  with  his  whip,  and  Smith  re 
turned   the  compliment    by   giving   the   Turk  a 
whack  on  the  head  with  his  flail.     Then  he  sprang 
upon  the  Turk's  horse,  and  after  riding  for  four 
teen  days  reached  the  Russian  frontier,  and  made 
good  his  escape.     After  again  fighting  the  Span 
iards,  he  embraces   this  opportunity  to  seek   his 
fortunes  in  the  New  World. 

6.  "  On  April  26,  1607,  the  vessels  enter  the 
Chesapeake  Bay  and  anchor  under  a  point  of  land 


18  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

which  the  colonists  call  Point  Comfort.  The  In 
dians  gaze  upon  the  vessels  with  wonder.  Captain 
Newport  quiets  their  fears,  and  makes  them  pres 
ents.  Captain  Smith  is  sent  to  open  friendly  in 
tercourse  with  the  great  chief  of  the  Indians.  He 
finds  the  chief  wearing  a  crown  of  deer-horns,  col 
ored  red,  with  two  eagle's  feathers  in  his  hair,  and 
a  piece  of  copper  dangling  on  one  side  of  his  head. 
His  body  is  painted  crimson  and  his  face  blue. 
The  chief  receives  him  courteously,  smoking  a 
pipe,  and  then  handing  it  to  Captain  Smith. 

7.  "The  ships  sail  up  a  noble  river,  which 
Captain  Newport  names  James,  in  honor  of  the 
king.  He  comes  to  a  beautiful  island,  where  he 
selects  a  place  for  a  town,  erects  houses  and  a  fort, 
and  names  it  Jamestown,  the  first  permanent  Eng 
lish  settlement  in  the  new  home  of  liberty.  The 
colonists  go  ashore.  The  gentlemen  are  unaccus 
tomed  to  hardship,  nor  are  they  used  to  labor. 
The  summer  sun  blazes  in  the  heavens.  Their 
provisions  are  damaged ;  the  water  is  unwhole 
some.  Fever  sets  in,  and  in  a  few  days  nearly 
every  man,  excepting  the  laborers,  is  down  with 
fever.  Four  die  in  a  single  night.  The  governor, 
Edward  Wingfield,  is  a  selfish,  grasping  man,  who 
has  come  to  the  New  World  to  amass  wealth.  He 
reserves  all  the  choice  things  for  himself,  and 
raises  a  quarrel  between  himself  and  his  captains, 


JOHN  SMITH  AND   POCAHONTAS.  19 

who  make  a  prisoner  of  him,  and  appoint  John 
Ratclrffe  in  his  place. 

8.  "The  provisions  are  nearly  exhausted,  and 
Captain  Smith,  with  six  men,  goes  in  a  boat  to 
purchase  corn  from  the  Indians.     A  conflict  takes 
place,  in  which  three  Indians  are  killed.     They 
are  compelled  to  bring  to  the  boats  of  Captain 
Smith    a   large   quantity   of   corn,  with  turkeys, 
ducks,  and  venison.     Smith  leaves  his  large  boat, 
and,  with  two  soldiers,  ascends  the  Chickahominy 
in  a  canoe.     His  two  companions  are  killed,  and 
he  is  taken  prisoner.     He  tells  them  that  the  colo 
nists  have  terrible  weapons,  and  will  destroy  them 
all.     He  writes  a  note  to  the  colonists  to  fire  their 
cannon. 

9.  "  The  Indians  arrive  at  Jamestown  with  the 
letter,  and  are  amazed  to  see  that  everything  hap 
pens  just  as  Smith  said  it  would.     Their  captain 
must  be  a  supernatural  being,  for  he  can  make 
paper  talk.      They  bring  back  some  gunpowder, 
which  they  intend  to  sow  in  the  spring,  and  so 
raise  their  own  powder.     Captain  Smith  is  taken 
before   the   great  chief,  Powhatan,  who  wears  a 
dress  made  of  raccoon-skins,  with  a  crown  of  red 
feathers.     He  sits  upon  a  platform,  with  his  two 
daughters    by   his   side,    the   oldest    fifteen,    the 
youngest   thirteen   years  of   age.     They  bring   a 
bowl  of  water  that  he  may  wash  his  face,  and  a 


20  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

bunch  of  feathers  for  a  towel.  Then  he  has  his 
trial,  and  is  condemned  to  die.  An  Indian  rolls  a 
stone  into  the  wigwam,  and  the  captain's  head  is 
laid  upon  it.  Two  warriors  raise  their  clubs  to 
beat  out  his  brains.  His  time  has  come;  yet  he 
does  not  tremble.  The  Indians  shall  see  that  the 
white  man  can  die  without  a  sign  of  fear. 

10.  "  The  youngest  girl  by  the  side  of  the  great 
chief  gazes  upon  the  scene.     Her  heart  is  in  com 
motion.     A  bound,  and  she  is  bending  over  him, 
shielding  him  from  the  clubs  ready  to  descend 
upon  his  skull.     i  Do  not  kill    him !  do  not  kill 
him  ! '     The  chief  loves  his  daughter,  and  for  her 
sake  spares  the  captain's  life,  and  sends  twelve 
warriors  to  conduct  him  in  safety  to  Jamestown. 
Captain  Smith  finds  the  colony  divided.     There 
are  forty  persons  in  all,  but  half  of  them  have 
seized  the  vessel  in  the  James,  and  are  abandoning 
the  place,  intending  to  sail  to  England. 

11.  "Captain  Smith  loads  a  cannon  and  aims 
it  at   the  vessel.     *  Return,  or  I  will  sink   you  ! ' 
The  conspirators,  awed  by  the  command,  return 
to  the  shore,  and  at  the  last  moment  the  colony 
is  saved   from   dissolution.     Pocahontas   is   their 
friend.     She  comes  often  to  town,  bringing  pro 
visions.     The  Indians  who  come  with  her  learn  to 
respect  the  man  who  has  no  fear  of  death.     '  In  a 
short  time  a  great  boat  filled  with  white  people 


JOHN  SMITH  AND   POCAHONTAS.  21 

will  come  from  the  sea/  he  says  to  them,  and  in  a 
few  weeks  Captain  Newport  sails  up  the  James, 
with  one  hundred  and  twenty  immigrants.  Now 
the  brave  man  is  a  prophet ;  he  can  tell  what  is 
going  to  happen,  and  they  stand  in  fear  of  him. 
The  new-comers  are  nearly  all  'gentlemen,'  who 
despise  labor,  and  have  come  expecting  to  find 
gold  as  plentiful  as  in  Peru, 

12.  "The   gentlemen   are   idlers,  but  Captain 
Smith  compels  them  to  work.     Some  of  them  are 
terribly   profane,   and  he  makes  a   law  that  for 
every  oath  they  utter  they  shall  have  a  canful  of 
cold  water  poured  down  their  backs.    He  discovers 
that  the  chief,  Powhatan,  though  professing  friend 
ship,  is  conspiring  against  the  colony,  and  resolves 
to  seize  him ;  but  two  worthless  fellows  flee  to 
Powhatan    with   information    of    his    intentions. 
And  now  Pocahontas  comes  with  counter-informa 
tion  that  her  father  intends  to  kill  the  English. 
Suddenly  they  are  surrounded  by  a  great  crowd  of 
savages.     Captain  Smith  seizes  the  chief  by  the 
hair,  and  with  his  pistol  at  the  breast  of  the  savage 
makes  him  promise  submission, 

13.  "Captain  Smith  has  been  three   years  in 
Virginia.     Had  it  not  been  for  him,  the  colony 
would  have  perished.     He  is  terribly  burned  by 
an  explosion  of  gunpowder,  and  resolves  to  return 
to  England.     He  bids  farewell  to  the  colonists, 


22 


STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY, 


some  of  whom  are  glad  to  be  rid  of  a  man  who 
has  compelled  them  to  labor,  while  others  can  not 
keep  back  the  tears  when  they  remember  how 
his  wisdom,  endurance,  and  bravery  more  than 


UllSt^.;   I 


Marriage  of  Pocahontas. 

once  have  saved  them  from  destruction.  He  re 
turns  to  England,  draws  a  map  of  his  explora 
tions,  which  he  presents  to  King  James,  who  holds' 
him  in  high  esteem." 


JOHN  SMITH  AND  POOAHONTA8.  23 

14.  Iii  1612,  after  Smith  had  returned  to  Eng 
land,  Pocahontas,  for  the  bribe  of  a  copper  kettle, 
was  treacherously  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  Cap 
tain  Argall,  and  by  him  kept  as  a  prisoner  in  or 
der  to  obtain  advantageous  terms  of  peace  with 
Powhatan.     The  Indian  king  offered  five  hundred 
bushels  of  corn  for  her  ransom ;  but  before  her  re 
lease  was  effected  a  mutual  attachment  sprang  up 
between  her  and  John  Rolfe,  a  young   English 
man,  whom  she  afterward  married, 

15.  Accompanied  by  her  husband,  Pocahontas 
went  to  England  in  1616,  where  she  was  received 
at  court  with  the  distinction  of  a  princess.     The 
bigoted  King  James  was  highly  indignant  because 
one  of  his  subjects  had  dared  to  marry  into  a  royal 
family,  and  absurdly  feared  that  Rolfe  might  lay 
claim  to  the  crown  of  Virginia.     She  remained  in 
England  about  a  year ;  and  when  on  the  point  of 
returning  to  America  with  her  husband,  in  1617, 
she  sickened  and  died  at  Gravesend.     The  Lady 
Rebecca  (as  she  was  called  in  England)  had  many 
and  sincere  mourners.     She  left  one  son,  Thomas 
Rolfe,  who  afterward  became  a  distinguished  man 
in  Virginia,  and  from  whom  John   Randolph,  of 
Roanoke,  was  descended. 


24  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

IV. 

HENRY  HUDSON. 

1.  "THE  storks  are  building  their  nests  on  the 
chimney-tops    in    Amsterdam.      The   spring   has 
come  in  its  beauty.     William   Brewster   and  his 
fellow-Pilgrims,  in  this  year  of  1609,  are  hard  at 
work  ;  but  quite  likely  they  have  time  to  stop  for 
a  few  moments  011  this  25th  day  of  May,  to  take 
a  look  at  a  vessel,  the   Half-Moon,  which  is  just 
starting  for  a  long  voyage,  in  search  of  a  new  route 
to  China.     Henry  Hudson,  an  Englishman,  Cap 
tain  John  Smith's  friend,  is  skipper.     He  stands 
upon  the  deck  issuing  orders.     The  sailors   bid 
good-by    to    their    friends,    and    the    Half-Moon 
slowly  moves  away. 

2.  "The   winds  are   fair,    and  in  less  than  a 
month  Captain   Hudson  is    at  Cape  North;    but 
there  he  encounters  terrible  storms.     The  air  is 
thick  with  mist.     There  are  dense  fogs,  and  ice 
fields  block  his  way.     He  is  not  a  man,  however, 
to  turn  back  at  once  to  Amsterdam ;  but  presses 
on  westward,  loses  his  foremast  in  a  fearful  storm, 
reaches  the  Banks  of   Newfoundland,  where  the 
crew  catch  a  great  supply  of  fish,  and  on  July 
17th  he  enters  Penobscot  Bay.      From  there  he 
sails  south,  and  drops  anchor  in  Chesapeake  Bay, 


HE  NET  HUDSON. 


in  Delaware  Bay,  at  Sandy  Hook,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  'the  great  North  River  of  the  New  Neth 
erlands  ' — the  Hudson. 

3c  "  The  Indians  put  out  in  their  canoes  from 
the  shores,  come  on  board  the  ship,  bringing  to 
bacco,  corn,  and  bear 
skins,  which  they  gladly 
exchange  for  knives  and 
trinkets.  The  next  day 
Captain  Hudson  sends  a 
party  of  sailors  on  shore, 
where  they  find  a  great 
company  of  Indians,  who 
give  them  tobacco  and 
dried  currants.  The  next 
day  Captain  Hudson  sails 
through  the  '  Narrows,' 

and  finds  himself  in  a  beautiful  and  spacious  har 
bor.  He  sends  a  boat  to  the  shore ;  but  suddenly 
the  Indians  let  their  arrows  fly,  and  John  Coleman, 
one  of  the  sailors,  is  killed.  His  comrades  bury 
the  body  on  a  point  of  land,  which  they  call  Cole- 
man's  Point. 

4.  "On  the  12th  of  September  the  Half-Moon 
begins  her  voyage  up  the  great  river.  The  In 
dians,  astonished  at  the  sight,  come  around  the 
ship  in  great  numbers,  bringing  corn  and  tobacco, 
and  making  signs  for  knives  and  beads.  Two 


Henry  Hudson. 


26  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

days  later  the  ship  is  amid  the  Highlands,  and 
the  sailors  look  out  upon  the  lofty  mountains  that 
remind  them  of  the  Rhine. 

5.  "On  September  18th  Captain  Hudson  goes 
ashore  near  the  present  village  of  Castleton,  to 
visit  the  great  chief  of  the  region,  who  has  seven 
teen  wives,  and  who  has  corn  and  beans  enough  to 
lead  three  ships  like  the  Half -Moon.     The  chief 
gives   him  a  dinner  of  baked  dog,  and  a  dish  of 
pigeons,  which  the  squaws  place  before  them  in 
wooden   bowls    painted   red.      The    chief  would 
like  to  have  him  stay  on  shore    overnight ;    and 
when  he  discovers   that  the  captain  is  about  to 
return   to    the    ship,    he  orders   his    warriors   to 
break   their  arrows  and  throw  them  in  the  fire, 
to  let    him    know  that   no   harm    shall    come    to 
him.     For   supper  they  have   pumpkins,  grapes, 
and  plums. 

6.  "The   Half-Moon   makes   her  way   to    Al 
bany,   where,   finding   that   the   ship   can    go  no 
farther,  Captain  Hudson  sends  a  party  in  boats  to 
explore  the  river      He  makes  a  feast  to  the  Indian 
chiefs  on   board    the   ship,  giving  them  brandy. 
One  drinks  so  much  that  he  becomes  intoxicated, 
and  rolls  upon  the  deck ;  the  others,  not  knowing 
what  to  make  of  it,  leap  in  their  canoes  and  hasten 
ashore  ;  but  return,  bringing  presents,  and  are  much 
pleased  to  find  the  chief  has  come  to  life  again,  and 


HENRY  HUDSON.  27 

who  is  anxious  to  stay  with  the  white  men,  who 
have  such  strong  water. 

7.  "  Little  does  Captain  Hudson  think  that  at 
that  moment   Samuel   Champlain  is  only   a   few 
miles   distant,  exploring  the  shores   of   the  lake 
which  bears  his  name,  and  that,  after  a  century 
has  rolled  aw^ay,  the  great  battle  for  supremacy 
between  France  and  England  will  be  fiercely  waged 
along   its  peaceful  shores.     Retracing  his  course, 
Captain  Hudson  drops  anchor  in  Haverstraw  Bay, 
where  an  Indian,  running  his  canoe  under  the  stern 
of  the  vessel,  climbs  into  the  cabin- window,  and 
steals  Captain  Hudson's  clothes  ;  but  the  mate  see 
ing  him,  seizes  a  musket  and  shoots  him.     The  In 
dians  on  the  ship,    amazed  at  the  lightning,  the 
smoke,  and  the  roar  of  the  gun,  leap  like  frogs 
into  the  water,  and  swim  for  their  boats. 

8.  "  Captain  Hudson  sends  a  boat  filled  with 
sailors  to  recover  the  stolen  goods.     One  of  the 
Indians  in  the  water  lays   hold   of   the   boat   to 
upset  it,  but  a  sailor  chops  off  his  hand,  and  the 
Indian  sinks  to  rise  no  more.     The  next  day  hun 
dreds  of  Indians  come  in  their  canoes  to  attack 
the  ship,  but  Captain  Hudson  brings  a  cannon  to 
bear  upon  them.     There  is  a  flash,  a  roar,  a  boat 
smashed,  and  those  in  it  killed  or  wounded.     The 
others  flee  in  consternation  before  the  white  man's 
thunder  and  lightning. 


28  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

9.  "  After  a  little  while  two  canoes  filled  with 
savages  put  off  from  the  shore  and  approach  the 
ship  rapidly ;  but  there  conies  a  second  flash,  and 
a  rattle  of  musketry.     One  of  the  boats  is  riddled 
by  the  shot,  and  the  poor  creatures  go  down  one 
by  one,  while  those  in  the  other  canoe  pull  for  the 
shore.     They  are  powerless  before  the  strangers. 
The  Half -Moon  reaches  the  sea,  spreads  her  sails, 
and  on  November  7th  casts  anchor  in  Dartmouth 
Harbor,  England,  whence  Captain  Hudson  sends 
an  account  of  his  voyage  to  Holland;  but  King 
James  will  not  permit  him  to  sail  thither.     The 
king  is   jealous  of   the  Dutch.      Henry  Hudson 
is  an  Englishman,   and  no  Englishman  shall  be 
permitted  to  aid  them  in  making  new  discoveries 
in  the  Western  world. 

10.  "The   next    year,    1610,   Henry    Hudson 
was  sent  out  by  an  association  of  gentlemen,  and 
in  that    voyage    discovered  the  great  bay  at  the 
north,   called  Hudson's  Bay,  where  he  wintered. 
In  the  spring  of  1611  he  endeavored  to  complete 
his  discoveries,  but,  his  provisions  failing,  he  was 
obliged  to  relinquish  the  attempt  and  make  his 
way  homeward.     Going  out  of  the  straits  from  the 
bay,  he  threatened  to  set  one  or  t\vo  of  his  muti 
nous  crew  on  shore.     These,  joined  by  others,  en 
tered  his  cabin  by  night,  pinioned  his  arms  behind 
him,  and  with  his  sons,  and  seven  of  the  sick  and 


MASSASOIT.  29 

most  infirm  on  board,  he  was  put  into  a  shallop 
and  set  adrift.     He  was  never  heard  of  afterward." 

C.  0.   Coffin. 


V. 
MASSASOIT. 

1.  UPON  the  advent  of  the  Pilgrims  in   1620, 
Eastern  Massachusetts  was   inhabited   by  an  Al 
gonquin  tribe  known  as  the  Wampanoags,  whose 
chief  ruler  was  Massasoit.     For  some  time  sickness 
had  prevailed  to  such  an  extent  among  the  Indians 
along  the  coast  that  they  all  moved  farther  inland. 
For  this  reason  the  Pilgrims  found  the  land  de 
serted,  and  no  one  to  dispute  their  possession. 

2.  During  the  winter,  while  nearly  the  whole 
colony  were  prostrate,  and  death  was  busy  with 
its  victims,  the  guards  were  alarmed  at  the  ap 
proach  of  an  Indian.     Disposed  at  first  to  regard 
him    as   an   enemy,  they  were    reassured   by  his 
friendly    signs,    and    he    advanced,    crying    out, 
"Welcome,  Englishmen!  "     This  proved  to  be  Sa- 
moset,  one  of  the  subjects  of  Massasoit,  and  before 
the  winter  was  over  he  proved  his  friendship  by 
bringing  fresh  venison  to  the  almost  starving  peo 
ple. 


30  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

3.  In   the    spring,    at   his   instance,   Governor 
Bradford  sent  a  pressing  invitation  to  Massasoit  to 
pay  them  a  visit,  and  afc   last  the  invitation  was 
accepted.     At  the  appointed  day  the  Indian  king 
made  his   appearance  with  a  retinue  of  warriors, 
but  for  a  long  time,  through  fear  and  distrust, 
they  kept  within  the  shade  of  the  forest.    At  length 
the  Indians  were  reassured  by  the  representations 
of   Samoset,   and  the  king,  accompanied    by  his 
principal  chiefs,  advanced  for  the  interview.     He 
was  met  half-way  by  Governor  Bradford,  accom 
panied  by  Miles  Standish,  and,  escorted  by  a  drum 
and  fife,  they  took  their  way  to  the  council-cham 
ber  at  Plymouth. 

4.  Here  a  feast  had  been  prepared  for  them, 
and  the  Indians'  hearts  were  made  glad   by  the 
bountiful  repast,  and  by  the  presents  which  each 
received.     Before  returning,  the  preliminaries  of  a 
treaty  had  been  discussed,  and  a  day  appointed 
for  its  ratification.     Nothing  occurred  to  mar  the 
pleasant  relations    between   them,   and   a  solemn 
treaty  was  made,  which  confirmed  the  Pilgrims  in 
the  title  to  their  lands,  and  put  an  end  to  their 
fears. 

5.  This  treaty  continued   in  force  as  long  as 
Massasoit  lived,  and  the  contracting  parties  often 
had  an  opportunity  to  perform  essential  service  to 
each  other.     Until  their  first  harvest  was  ready, 


MASSAS01T.  31 

starvation  frequently  stared  the  settlers  in  the 
face,  but  it  was  repeatedly  averted  by  presents 
from  Samoset  and  other  Indians,  who  almost  made 
their  home  among  their  English  friends. 

6.  In  the  autumn  news  was  brought  that  Mas- 
sasoit  wras  stricken  with  a  grievous  fever  and  was 
nigh  unto  death.     At  once  Edward  Winslow  and 
two  attendants  set  out  to  his  relief.     They  .found 
the  king  tossing  on  a  bed  of  un tanned  skins  in  a 
little  hut  on  the  hill-side.     The  September  day  was 
nearly  as  hot  as  July,  but  yet  the  hut  was  shut 
up  as  much  as  possible,  and  the  air  inside   was 
rendered    stifling   by   a   multitude   who   had    as 
sembled   to    assist   the   pow-wows   or   priests   in 
driving  away  the  evil  spirit.      The    lips  of   the 
sufferer  were   parched,  and  he  rolled  his  eyes  in 
delirium. 

7.  At   once  Winslow  commenced   operations. 
He  cleared  the  hut  of  all  but  one  attendant.    Then 
he  let  in  the  fresh  air  of   heaven,  and  cleansed 
the  patient  of  the  filth  that  had  been  allowed  to 
accumulate.      Then  moistening  the   parched  lips 
with  water,  he  administered  some  simple  medi 
cine,  and  the  patient  fell  into  a  grateful  slumber. 
In  the  morning  he  awoke  weak,  but  refreshed,  and 
in  his  right  mind.     Comprehending  the  situation, 
he   placed  himself  unreservedly  in  the   hands  of 
Winslow,  and   again   closed    his   eyes.     Hour  by 


32  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

hour  he  improved,  and  at  the  end  of  three  days  he 
was  able  to  be  up  and  walk  about. 

8.  His    gratitude    to   Winslow   was    without 
bounds,  and  the  whole  tribe  were  anxious  to  es 
cort  their  best  friend  back  to  Plymouth.     Massa- 
soit  exclaimed,  "  Now  I  know  the  English  are  true 
friends  "  ;  and,  as  long  as  he  lived,  the  struggling 
settlers  had  substantial  proofs  of  his  gratitude  and 
friendship. 

9.  The  relations  between  the  whites  and  the 
Indians,  so  happily  begun,  unfortunately  were  not 
established  in  other  parts  of   the   New  England 
colonies ;  but  even  when  a  bloody  war  raged  in 
Connecticut  between  the  settlers  and  the  Pequots, 
the  Plymouth  Colony  was  carefully  guarded  from 
attacks  by  the  vigilance  of  the  friendly  Wampa- 
noags. 


VI. 

ROGER   WILLIAMS. 


1.  ROGER  WILLIAMS,  the  apostle  of  toleration, 
was  born  in  Wales,  in  1599,  and  was  educated  at 
Oxford.  He  became  a  minister  in  the  Church  of 
England,  but,  on  account  of  his  views  of  religious 
liberty,  he  was  obliged  to  leave  the  Church  of 


ROGER    WILLIAMS. 


33 


England  and  become  a  non-conformist,  like  the 
Puritans.  At  the  age  of  thirty-two,  in  the  year 
1631,  he  came  to  Boston,  a  few  months  after  the 
arrival  of  Winthrop  and  his  colony.  He,  like  the 
rest  of  the  Puritans,  fled  from  English  persecution. 
But  he  differed  with  the  Puritans  in  the  colonies. 

2.  They  held  that  the  civil  authorities  had  a 
right  to  command  the  opinions  of  their  citizens. 
Roger  Williams,  on  the  other  hand,  though  mild 
in  disposition  and  manner,  openly  expressed  his 
conviction  that  the  civil  magistrate  should  restrain 
bad  conduct  and  crime,  but  never  control  opinion. 
So,  finding  himself  looked  upon  with  suspicion  by 
the  authorities,  Williams  left 

the  Massachusetts  colony,  and 
joined  the  settlement  at  Ply 
mouth.  Here  he  remained 
two  years,  and  by  his  charity, 
virtues,  and  purity  of  life 
won  the  hearts  of  all. 

3.  The   people   of   Salem 
called  him  to  be  their  minis 
ter;  and  now,  having  an  op 
portunity  to  speak  in  the  pub 
lic    ear,    he    was    in    constant    trouble    with    the 
clergy.      The   magistrates   insisted   on   the    pres 
ence  of  every  man  at  public  worship.     Williams 
opposed  this  law.     To  compel  men  to  unite  with 


34  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTHY. 

those  of  different  opinions  lie  regarded  as  an  open 
violation  of  their  natural  rights ;  and  to  drag 
them  to  public  worship  against  their  will  he 
thought  was  like  requiring  hypocrisy.  Both  the 
magistrates  and  the  clergy  were  alarmed,  and 
they  began  to  denounce  Williams.  The  more 
severely  they  opposed  him,  the  more  earnest  did 
he  become  in  urging  his  views  of  toleration,  until 
he  himself  became  somewhat  intolerant. 

4.  "  He  denounced  King  James  as  a  liar.     He 
declared  that  the  settlers  had  no  right  to  the  lands 
they  occupied ;  that  these  belonged  to  the  Indians. 
He  raised  a  tumult  about  the  Red  Cross  of   St. 
George,  which  the  colonists  still  carried  in  the  na 
tional  banner.     At  last  he  boldly  denounced  the 
churches  of  New  England  as  anti-Christian,  and 
excommunicated  such  of  his  parishioners  as  held 
intercourse  with  them.     The  magistrates  became 
greatly  irritated,  and,  on  a  charge  of  treasonable 
conduct,  Williams  was  arraigned  before  the  Gen 
eral  Court  at  Boston.    There  he  stood  alone  in  de 
fense  of  his  noble  principles,  for  his  congregation, 
and  even  the  wife  of  his  bosom,  could  not  justify 
all  his  words  and  acts. 

5.  "Yet  he  was  unmoved,  and  declared  him 
self  '  ready  to  be  bound  and  banished,  and  even  to 
die  in  New  England,'  rather  than  to  renounce  the 
truth  that   shed   its  light  on  his  mind  and  con- 


ROGER  WILLIAMS.  35 

science.  Every  effort  to  '  reduce  him  from  his  er 
rors  '  was  unavailing,  and  he  was  ordered  to  leave 

o/ 

the  colony  within  six  weeks.  He  obtained  leave 
to  remain  until  the  rigors  of  winter  had  passed  ; 
but,  continuing  to  express  his  peculiar  views,  the 
court  determined  to  ship  him  to  England  imme 
diately.  Hearing  that  a  warrant  had  been  issued 
for  his  arrest,  he  set  out,  with  a  few  followers,  for 
the  vast,  unexplored  wilds,  of  America. 

6.  "  In  the  midst  of  deep  snows  and  biting 
winds  they  journeyed  toward  Narragansett  Bay. 
1  For  fourteen  weeks  he  was  severely  tossed  in  a 
bitter  season,  not  knowing  what  bread  or  bed  did 
mean.'     At  last  he  found  refuse  with  the  Indian 

o 

sachem  Massasoit,  whom  he  had  known  at  Plym 
outh  ;  and  in  the  spring,  under  a  grant  from  that 
sachem,  commenced  a  settlement  at  Seekonk,  on 
the  Pawtucket  River,  just  within  the  limits  of  the 
Plymouth  Colony.  Many  of  the  ministers  of  that 
colony  wrote  friendly  letters  to  him,  for  he  was 
personally  beloved  by  all.  Then  Winslow,  -who 
was  the  governor  of  the  colony,  wrote  a  letter  to 
Williams,  in  which  he  suggested  his  removal  be 
yond  the  limits  of  the  colony  to  prevent  trouble. 

7.  "  Williams  heeded  the  advice  of  Winslow, 
and  entering  a  canoe,  with  five  others,  paddled 
down  the   Seekonk  or  Pawtucket,  almost   to  its 
mouth,  and  landed  on  a  bare  rock  upon  the  west 


36  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

side  of  the  river,  and  commenced  a  new  settlement. 
From  the  principal  Indian  chiefs  he  obtained  a 
grant  for  this  purpose.  He  named  his  new  set 
tlement  Providence,  l  in  commemoration  of  God's 
providence  to  him  in  his  distress.'  i  I  desired,'  he 
said,  <  it  might  be  for  a  shelter  for  persons  dis 
tressed  for  conscience.'  And  so  it  became,  for 
men  of  every  creed  there  found  perfect  freedom 
of  thought. 

8.  "  Although  every  rood  of  land  belonged  to 
Williams  by  right  of  deed  from  the  Narragansett 
sachem,  not  a  foot  of  it  did  he  reserve  to  himself. 
He  practiced  his  holy  precepts,  and  'gave  away 

his  lands  and  other  estates  to  them  that  he  thought 

t 

most  in  want,  until  he  gave  it  all  away.'  Nor  was 
there  any  distinction  made  among  the  settlers, 
1  whether  servants  or  strangers ' ;  each  had  an 
equal  voice  in  the  affairs  of  government.  The 
Massachusetts  people  believed  that  the  fugitives 
must  perish  politically,  yet  they  thrived  wonder 
fully,  and  the  impress  of  that  first  system  is  yet 
seen  upon  the  political  character  of  Rhode  Island. 
And  the  founder  of  this  colony  earned  a  character 
which  was  described  by  those  opposed  to  him  as 
'  one  of  the  most  distinguished  men  that  ever  lived, 
a  most  pious  and  heavenly-minded  soul.' 

9.  "  The  Christian  charity  of  Roger  Williams 
was  remarkably  displayed  after  his    banishment 


KING  PHILIP.  37 

from  Massachusetts.  In  1637  the  Pequots  tried 
to  induce  the  Narragansetts  to  join  them  in  a  gen 
eral  war  upon  the  whites,  and  particularly  against 
the  Massachusetts  people.  Williams  informed  the 
latter  of  the  fact,  and  they  desired  his  mediation. 
So,  forgetting  the  many  injuries  received  from 
those  who  now  needed  his  favor,  he  set  out  on  a 
stormy  day,  in  a  poor  canoe,  upon  the  rough  bay, 
for  the  cabin  of  Canonicus.  The  Pequots  and 
Narragansetts  were  assembled  in  council.  The 
former  threatened  him  with  death,  yet  he  remained 
there  three  days  and  nights.  'God  wonderfully 
preserved  me,'  he  said,  'and  helped  me  to  break 
in  pieces  the  designs  of  the  enemy.7  Notwith 
standing  this  great  service,  the  Massachusetts  court 
refused  to  revoke  Williams's  sentence  of  banish 
ment." 

Lossing. 


VIL 
.     KING    PHILIP. 

1.  MASSASOIT  died  about  the  year  1653,  at  an 
advanced  age,  having  been  from  their  first  arrival 
the  friend  of  the  English,  though  he  would  never 
consent  to  adopt  Christianity.  About  that  time 
his  two  sons  Wamsutta  and  Metacom,  came  to 


38  STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

Plymouth,  and  in  open  court  professed  their  friend 
ship  for  the  English,  and  desired  that  names 
should  be  given  them.  Wamsutta  received  the 
name  of  Alexander,  and  Metacom  was  named 
Philip.  Alexander  succeeded  his  father,  but,  upon 
accusation  that  he  had  made  war  upon  certain 
friendly  Indians,  he  was  seized  and  brought  to 
Plymouth.  He  died  within  three  days. 

2.  Philip,  the  younger  brother,  succeeded  Alex 
ander,  and  appeared  at  Plymouth  to  profess  his 
friendship,  and  obtain  recognition  as  sachem  of  the 
Wampanoags,  that  being  the  chief  tribe  under  his 
rule.     On  account  of  the  treatment  of  Alexander, 
distrust  had  deepened  between  the  English  and 
Indians.     It  became  evident  that  Philip  was  or 
ganizing  an  alliance  among  the  various  tribes,  and 
preparing  for  war.     In  1675  he  was  summoned  to 
appear  at  Plymouth  and  submit  to  an  examination 
in  regard  to  his  conduct.     And  here  comes  in  the 
name  of  an  Indian  who,  whether  designedly  or 
not,  caused  the  outbreak  of  hostilities. 

3.  John    Sassamon    belonged   to  a  family   of 
Eliot's  "praying  Indians."     He  renounced  Chris 
tianity  and  went  over  to  King  Philip;  then  re 
pented  and  was  received  back  by  Eliot.     Still  he 
visited  Philip,   and   reported   what   he    saw  and 
heard   to   the   English.     About   the  time  Philip 
was  cited  to  appear  at  Plymouth,  Sassamon  made 


KING  PHILIP.  j£c*    39 

one  of  his  visits  to  the  Wampanoags.  It  was  his 
last.  His  body  was  found  thrust  through  a  hole 
in  the  ice,  with  his  neck  broken,  and  his  hat  and 
gun  near  by,  as  if  he  had  committed  suicide.  A  jury 
decided  that  he  had  been  murdered,  and  three  prom 
inent  Indians  were  seized,  convicted,  and  hanged. 

4.  The  young  men  of  their  tribe  instantly  re 
taliated  by  an  attack  upon  an  English  settlement, 
which  was  burned,  and  in  and  near  it  several  per 
sons  were  slain.     Thus  began  King  Philip's  War. 
It  lasted  over  a  year,  and  not  one  open  battle  took 
place.     Everywhere   in  the    out-settlements,    and 
near  the  villages,  the  savages  pounced  upon  their 
victims,  or  shot  them  from  ambush,  and  all  New 
England  was  kept  in  terror. 

5.  Philip,  on  his  side,  carried  on  this  war  with 
single-handed  energy  and  talent.     He  had  to  watch 
and  resist,  openly  and  secretly,  all  who  would  not 
join  him,  besides  the  multitudes  who  deserted,  be 
trayed,  and  opposed  him.     The  New  Hampshire 
tribes  mostly  withdrew  from    the    contest.     The 
praying  Indians,    of  whom  there  were  thousands, 
either  remained   neutral,  or  turned  against  their 
own  race.     One  of  Philip's  own  tribes  forsook  him 
in  his  misfortunes;  and  the  Pequots  and  Mohe- 
gans  of  Connecticut  kept  the  field   against   him 
from  the  very  first  clay  of  the  war  to  the  last 

6.  Philip  is  said  to  have  wept  over  this  dis- 


40  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

tressed  condition  of  things.  He  relented,  perhaps, 
savage  as  he  was,  at  the  idea  of  disturbing  the  long 
amity  which  his  father  had  preserved.  But  the 
die  was  cast,  and,  though  Philip  never  smiled  after 
that  memorable  hour,  his  whole  soul  was  bent 
upon  the  business  before  him.  Day  nor  night 
scarcely  was  there  rest  for  his  limbs  nor  sleep  for 
his  eyes.  The  strength  of  his  own  dominions  was 
about  six  hundred  warriors,  ready  and  more  than 
ready  for  the  war-cry.  His  situation  during  the 
last  few  months  of  the  war  was  so  deplorable,  and 
yet  his  courage  was  so  great,  that  we  can  only  look 
upon  him  with  pity  and  admiration. 

7.  His  success  for  some  time  had  been  tremen 
dous,  but   the   tide  began  to  turn.     The   whole 
power  of  the  colonies  was  in  the  field,  aided  by 
scouts  of  his  own  race.     The  mere  physical  en^ 
durance  of  Philip  was  almost  incredible     It  is  by 
his  hair-breadth  escapes,  indeed,  that  he  is  chiefly 
visible  during  the  war.     Occasionally  the  English 
come  close  upon  him ;  he  starts  up  like  a  roused 
lion,  plunges  into  the  river  or  leaps  the  precipice ; 
and  nothing  more  is  seen  of  him  for  months. 

8.  Only  a  few  weeks  after  the  war  commenced, 
lie  was  surrounded  in  the  great  Pocasset  Swamp, 
and  obliged  to  escape  from  his  vigilant  enemies  by 
rafting  himself,  with  his  best  men,  over  the  Taun- 
ton  River,  while  their  women  and  children  were 


KING  PHILIP. 


41 


sm 


42  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

left  to  be  captured.  On  his  return  to  the  same 
neighborhood  the  next  season,  a  captive  guided 
the  English  to  his  encampment.  Philip  fled  in  such 
haste  as  to  leave  his  kettle  upon  the  fire ;  twenty 
of  his  comrades  were  overtaken  and  killed,  and  he 
himself  escaped  to  the  swamp. 

9.  Here   his  uncle  was  shot  soon  afterward,  at 
his  side.     Upon  the  next  day  Captain  Church,  dis 
covering  an  Indian  seated  on  a  fallen  tree,  raised 
his  musket  and  deliberately  aimed  at  him.     "  It  is 
one  of  our  own  party,"  whispered  a  savage,  who 
crept  behind  him.     Church  lowered  his  gun,  and 
the  stranger  turned  his  head.     It  was  Philip  him 
self,  musing,  perhaps,  upon  the  fate  that  awaited 
him.     Church  fired,  but  his  royal   enemy  had  al 
ready  fied  down  the  bank.     He  escaped  from  a 
close  and  bloody  skirmish  a  few  hours  afterward. 

10.  Philip  was  now  a  desolate  and  desperate 
man,  the  last  prince  of  an  ancient  race,  without 
subjects,  without  territory,  accused  by  his  allies, 
betrayed  by  his  comrades,  hunted  like  a  spent  deer 
by  blood-hounds,  in  daily  danger  of  starving,  and 
with  no  shelter  day  or  night  for  his  head.     All  his 
chief  counselors  and  best  friends  had  been  killed. 
His  brother  was  slain  in  the  Pocasset  Sw^amp ;  his 
uncle  was  shot  down  at  his  own  side  ;  and  his  wife 
and  son  were  captured. 

11.  At  the  head  of  a  few  followers  who  still 


KING  'PHILIP.  43 

remained  alive  and  continued  faithful  to  him,  he 
returned  to  his  home  at  Mount  Hope.  But  the 
white  forces  under  Captain  Church  closely  fol 
lowed  him,  and  gave  him  but  a  few  hours  to  rest. 
At  their  approach  he  took  refuge  in  a  neighboring 
swamp,  but  his  hiding-place  was  soon  discovered, 
and  was  completely  surrounded.  As  the  little 
army  of  Captain  Church  closed  in,  Philip  was  seen 
watching  one  of  the  entrances  to  the  swamp.  He 
was  shot,  it  is  said,  by  one  of  the  friendly  Indians 
which  constituted  a  portion  of  the  invading  force. 

12.  Philip  was  far  from  being  a  mere  barbarian 
in  his  manners  and  feelings.     There  is  not  an  in 
stance  to  be  met  with  of  his  having  maltreated  a 
captive  in  any  way,  even  while  the  English  were 
selling  his  own  slaves    abroad,  or  torturing  and 
hanging  them  at  home.     The  famous  Mrs.  Kow- 
landson  speaks  of   meeting   with  him  during  her 
doleful  captivity.     He  invited  her  to  call  at  his 
lodge ;  and,  when  she  did  so,  bade  her  sit  down, 
and  asked  her  if  she  would  smoke.     On  meeting 
her  again,  he  requested  her  to  make  some  garment 
for  his  child,  and  for  this  he  paid  her  a  shilling. 

13.  Philip  did  and  endured  enough  to  immor 
talize  him  as  a  warrior,  a  statesman,  and  we  may 
add  a  high-minded  and  noble  patriot.     He  fought 
and  fell — miserably,  indeed,  but   gloriously — the 
avenger  of  his  own  household,  the  worshiper  of 


44  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

his  own  gods,  the  guardian  of  his  own  honor,  a 
martyr  for  the  soil  which  was  his  birthplace,  and 
for  the  proud  liberty  which  was  his  birthright. 

Thatcher. 


VIII. 
THE  INDIAN    BIBLE. 

1.  WHAT  a  task  would  you  think  it,  even  with 
a  long  lifetime  before  you,  were  you  bidden  to 
copy  every  chapter,  and   verse,  and  word  in  the 
family  Bible  !     Would  not  this  be  a  very  heavy 
toil  ?     But  if  the  task  were,  not  to  write  off  the 
English  Bible,  but  to  learn  a  language  utterly  un 
like  all  other  tongues,  a  language  which  hitherto 
had  never  been  learned  ;  to  learn  this  new  variety 
of  speech,  and  then  to  translate  the  Bible  into  it, 
so  carefully  that  not  one  idea  throughout  the  holy 
book  should  be  changed — what  would  induce  you 
to  undertake  this  toil  ?     Yet  this  was  what  the 
apostle  Eliot  did. 

2.  It  was  a  mighty  work  for  a  man,  now  grow 
ing  old,  to  take  upon  himself.     And  what  earthly 
reward  did  he  expect  from  it  ?     None  ;  no  reward 
on  earth.     But  he  believed  that  the  red-men  were 
the  descendants  of  those  lost  tribes  of  Israel  of 


THE  INDIAN  BIBLE. 


45 


whom  history  has  been  able  to  tell  us  nothing  for 
thousands  of  years.  Sometimes,  while  thus  at 
work,  he  was  visited  by  learned  men,  who  desired 
to  know  what  literary  work  Mr.  Eliot  had  in 
hand.  They,  like  himself,  had  been  bred  in  the 
studious  cloisters  of  a  university.  They  had  grown 
gray  in  study  ;  their  eyes  were  bleared  with  por 
ing  over  print  and  mauu- 
script  by  the  light  of  the 
midnight  lamp. 

3.  And  yet  how  much 
had  they  left  unlearned! 
Mr.  Eliot  would  put  into 
their  hands  some  of  the 
pages  which  he  had  been 


writing  ;    and  behold  !   the 


gray -headed  men  stammered 
over  the  long,  strange  words, 
like  a  child  in  his  first  attempts  to  read.  Then 
would  the  apostle  call  to  him  an  Indian  boy,  one 
of  his  pupils,  and  show  him  the  manuscript  which 
had  so  puzzled  the  learned  Englishman.  "  Read 
this,  my  child,"  said  he  ;  "  these  are  some  brethren 
of  mine,  who  would  fain  hear  the  sound  of  the 
native  tongue.7' 

4.  Then  would  the  Indian  boy  cast  his  eyes 
over  the  mysterious  page,  and  read  it  so  skillfully 
that  it  sounded  like  wild  music.  It  seemed  as  if 


4(5  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

the  forest  leaves  were  singing  in  the  ears  of  Ms 
auditors,  and  as  if  the  roar  of  distant  streams  were 
poured  through  the  young  Indian's  voice.  Such 
were  the  sounds  amid  which  the  language  of  the 
red -man  had  been  formed ;  and  they  were  still 
heard  to  echo  in  it.  The  lesson  being  over,  Mr. 
Eliot  would  give  the  Indian  boy  an  apple  or  a 
cake,  and  bid  him  leap  forth  into  the  open  air, 
which  his  free  nature  loved.  The  apostle  was 
kind  to  children,  and  even  shared  in  their  sports 
sometimes. 

5.  Occasionally,  perhaps,  the  governor  and  some 
of  the  councilors  came    to  visit  Mr.  Eliot.     Per 
chance  they  were  seeking  some  method  to  get  the 
better  of  the  forest  people.     They  inquired  how 
they  might  obtain  possession  of  such  and  such  a 
tract  of  rich  land.     Or  they  talked  of  making  the 
Indians  their  servants  ;  as  if  God    had   destined 
them  for  perpetual  bondage  to  the  more  powerful 
white  man.     Perhaps,  too,  some  warlike  captain, 
dressed  in  his  buff  coat,  with  a  corslet  beneath  it, 
accompanied   the  governor  and  councilors.     Lay 
ing   his  hand  upon  his  sword-hilt,  he  would  de 
clare  that  the   only  method  of  dealing  with  the 
red-men  was  to  meet  them  with  the  sword  drawn 
and  the  musket  presented. 

6.  But  the  apostle  resisted  both  the  craft  of 
the  politician   and   the   fierceness  of  the  warrior. 


THE  INDIAN  BIBLE.  47 

"  Treat  these  sons  of  the  forest  as  men  and  breth 
ren,"  he  would  say  ;  "  and  let  us  endeavor  to  make 
them  Christians.  Their  forefathers  were  of  that 
chosen  race  whom  God  delivered  from  Egyptian 
bondage.  Perchance  he  has  destined  us  to  deliver 
the  children  from  the  more  cruel  bondage  of  igno 
rance  and  idolatry.  Chiefly  for  this  end,  it  may 
be,  we  were  directed  across  the  ocean." 

7.  Impressed  by  such  thoughts   as  these,  he 
sat  writing  in  the  great  chair  when  the  pleasant 
summer  breeze  came  in  through  the  open  case 
ment  ;  and  also  when  the  fire  of  forest  logs  sent 
up  its  blaze  and  smoke,  through  the  broad  stone 
chimney  into  the  wintry  air.     Before  the  earliest 
bird  sang  in  the  morning  the  apostle's  lamp  was 
kindled  ;  and  at  midnight  his  weary  head  was  not 
yet  upon  its  pillow.     At  length,  leaning  back  in 
his  great  chair,  he  could  say  to  himself,  with  a 
holy  triumph,  "  The  work  is  finished  !  " 

8.  King  Philip's  War  began  in  1675,  and  ended 
with  the  death  of  Philip  in  the  following  year. 
Philip  was  a  proud,  fierce  Indian,  whom  Mr.  Eliot 
had  vainly  endeavored  to  convert  to  the  Christian 
faith.     It  must  have  been  a  great  anguish  to  the 
apostle  to  hear  of  mutual  slaughter  and  outrage 
between  his  own  countrymen  and  those  for  whom 
he  felt  the  affection  of  a  father.     A  few  of  the 
praying  Indians  joined  the  followers  of  King  Philip. 


48  STORIES  Of    OUR   COUNTRY. 

A  greater  number  f ought  on  the  side  of  the  Eng 
lish.  In  the  course  of  the  war,  the  little  commu 
nity  of  red  people  whom  Mr.  Eliot  had  begun  to 
civilize  was  scattered.  But  his  zeal  did  not  grow 
cold ;  and  only  about  five  years  before  his  death 
he  took  great  pains  in  preparing  a  new  edition  of 
the  Indian  Bible. 

Hawthorne. 


IX. 

THE  THREE   REGICIDES. 

1.  NEW  HAVEN  became  famous  as  the  "city  of 
refuge  "  for  three  of  the  English  regicides,  or  judges 
who  condemned  Charles  I  to  death.  They  were 
Generals  Goffe  and  Whalley,  and  Colonel  Dixwell. 
Whalley  was  descended  from  a  very  ancient  fam 
ily,  and  was  a  relative  of  Oliver  Cromwell ;  Goffe 
was  the  son  of  a  Puritan  divine,  and  married  a 
daughter  of  Whalley ;  Dixwell  was  a  wealthy 
country  gentleman  of  Kent,  and  was  a  member  of 
Parliament  in  1654.  On  the  restoration  of  Charles 
II  to  the  throne  of  his  father,  many  of  the  judges 
were  arrested,  thirty  were  condemned  to  death, 
and  ten  were  executed.  The  three  above  named 
escaped  to  New  England.  Goffe  and  Whalley  ar- 


THE  THREE  REGICIDES.  49 

rived  at  Boston  in  July,  1660,  and  took  up  their 
residence  in  Cambridge. 

2.  Feeling  insecure  there,  they  removed  to  New 
Haven,  where  their  unaffected  piety  won  for  them 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  people,  and  par 
ticularly  of  the  minister,  Mr.  Davenport.     Their 
apparent  freedom  from  danger  lasted  but  a  few 
days.   The  proclamation  of  Charles,  offering  a  large 
reward  for  their  apprehension,  and  the  news  that 
pursuers  were  on  the  scent  reached  them  at  the 
same  time,  and  they  were  obliged  to  flee.     They 
took  shelter  in  a  rocky  cavern,  on  the  top  of  West 
Eock,  where  they  were  supplied  daily  with  food 
by  their  friends.    They  shifted  their  place  of  abode 
from  time  to  time,  calling  each  locality  Ebenezer, 
and  occasionally  appeared  publicly  in  New  Haven. 
On  one  occasion  they  sat  under  the  Neck  Bridge, 
upon  Mill  River,  w^hen  their  pursuers  passed  over, 
and  several  times  they  came  near  falling  into  their 
hands.    The  people  generally  favored  their  escape, 
and  for  their  lives  they  owed  much  to  Mr.  Daven 
port. 

3.  About  the  time  when  the  pursuers  were  ex 
pected  in  New  Haven,  Mr.  Davenport  preached 
publicly  upon  the   text,  "Take   counsel,  execute 
judgment ;  make  thy  shadow  as  the  night  in  the 
midst  of  noonday  ;  hide  the  outcasts  ;  betray  not 
him  that  wandereth,"  etc.     The  sermon  had  the 


50  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

effect  to  put  the  whole  town  upon  their  guard, 
and  made  the  people  resolve  on  the  concealment 
of  the  "outcasts."  The  following  anecdote  is  re 
lated  of  Goffe  while  he  was  in  Boston : 

4.  A  fencing-master  erected  a  stage,  and  upon 
it  he  walked  several  days,  defying  any  one  to  com 
bat  with  swords.     Goffe  wrapped  a  huge  cheese 
in  a  napkin  for  a  shield,  and,  arming  himself  with 
a  mop  filled  with  dirty  water  from  a  pool,  mounted 
the  stage  and  accepted  the  challenge.    The  fencing- 
master  attempted  to  drive  him  off,  but  Goffe  skill 
fully  received  the  thrusts  of  his  sword  into  the 
cheese.    At  the  third  lunge  of  his  antagonist  Goffe 
held  the  sword  fast  in  his  soft  shield  long  enough  to 
smear  the  face  of  the  fencing-master  with  the  mop. 

5.  Enraged,  the  challenger  caught  up  a  broad 
sword,  when  Goffe  exclaimed,  with  a  firm  voice : 
"  Stop,  sir ;  hitherto,  you  see,  I  have  only  played 
with  you,  and  not  attempted  to  harm  you ;  but  if 
you  come  at  me  now  with  a  broadsword,  know 
that  I  will  certainly  take  your  life."     Goffe's  firm 
ness  alarmed  the  fencing-master,  who  exclaimed : 
"  Who  can  beat  you  ?     You  must  be  either  Goffe, 
Wh alley,  or  the  devil,  for  there  was  no  other  man 
in  England  could  beat  me  ! " 

6.  In  the  autumn  the  regicides  left  New  Haven 
and  went  to  Hadley.     While  there,  eleven  years 
afterward,  King  Philip's  War  took  place.     While 


THE    THREE  REGWIDES.  51 

the  people  of  the  town  were  in  their  meeting-house, 
observing  a  fast,  a  body  of  Indians  surrounded 
them.  The  continual  expectation  of  such  an  event 
made  the  inhabitants  always  go  armed  to  worship. 
They  were  so  armed  on  this  occasion,  and  sallied 
out  to  drive  off  the  savages. 

7.  At  that  moment  there  appeared  in  the  midst 
of  them  a  man  of  venerable  aspect  and  singular 
costume,  who  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  the 
people,  and  by  causing  them  to  observe  strict  mili 
tary  tactics,  enabled  them  to  disperse  the  assail 
ants.  The  stranger  disappeared.  The  people  be 
lieved  an  angel  had  been  sent  them  to  lead  them 
and  effect  a  victory.  The  angel  \vas  General  Goffe. 
Goffe  and  Whalley  died  at  Had  ley,  and  it  is  sup 
posed  that  their  bodies  were  secretly  conveyed  to 
New  Haven.  In  the  old  burying-ground  in  that 
city,  in  the  rear  of  the  Center  Church,  are  stones 
which  bear  the  initials  of  the  regicides. 

Lossing. 


52  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

X. 

DEERFIELD    AND    THE  ST.    REGIS    BELL 

1.  "ON   the  last  night  of  February,  1704,  a 
party  of  French  and  Indians,  under  Major  Ronville, 
came  from  Canada  to  the  little  town  of  Deerfield, 
in  the  colony  of  Massachusetts.     The  settlers  had 
been  warned  by  the  Mohawk  Indians  of  their  dan 
ger.     A  stockade  had  been  erected  and  sentinels 
placed,  but  they  had  retired  as  morning  broke,  and 
the  people  were  waked  from  their  sleep  by  the  war- 
whoop.     The  enemy  was  within  the  place ;  no  re 
sistance  was   possible.     Forty-seven  were  killed, 
and  over  a  hundred  in  number  were  carried  off  as 
prisoners. 

2.  "  The  village  was   set  on  fire,  and  all  the 
buildings  except  one  house  and  the  church  were 
burned.     In  an  hour  after  sunrise,  before  the  few 
who  escaped  could   give  the  alarm,  the  stealthy 
savages  were  on  their  return.     The  wretched  cap 
tives  had  their  clothes  taken  from  them,  and  no 
food  given  them  except  nuts  and  acorns,  and  scraps 
of  dogs'  flesh.     The  weak  who  could  not  keep  up 
with  the  rest  were  killed,  except  such  children  as 
pleased    the   Indians,    and   for   them   they   made 
sledges.     All  who  could  walk  were  forced  to  car 
ry  burdens.     Such  as  reached  Canada  were  sold  as 


DEERFIELD  AND   THE  ST.  REGIS  BELL.         53 

slaves,  but  were  kindly  treated,  and  allowed  to  be 
ransomed  by  their  friends. 

3.  "  Among  the  captives  were  Rev.  John  Wil 
liams,  the  pastor  of  Deerfield,  his  wife,  and  five 
children.     The  wife  was  killed  by  the  Indians  on 
the  way.     Mr.  Williams  was  released  in  1706,  and 
on  his  return  published  '  The  Redeemed  Captive,' 
a  narrative  of  his  sad  adventures.     His  wife  Eu 
nice  deserves  a  name  among  the  saints.     She  did 
not  leave  her  Bible  behind,  and  the  wondering 
savage  looked  at  her  as,  when  they  rested,  she 
turned  to  its  pages  for  consolation.     At  last  she 
could  go  no  farther,  and  sank  down  to  die.     Her 
husband  cheered  her  with  the  hope  of  the  '  house 
not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.' 

4.  "  A  tomahawk  ended  her  sufferings,  and  her 
husband  said,  i  She  rests  in  peace,  in  joy  unspeak 
able  and  full  of  glory.'     Of  her  children,  three 
sons  became  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  one  daugh 
ter,  having  been  adopted  by  Christian  Indians  in 
Montreal,  would  not  leave  them.     She  married  a 
son  of  the  family,  and  when,  years  after,  she  vis 
ited  her  friends  in  Deerfield,  it  was  in  an  Indian 
dress,  which,  with  Indian  customs,  she  never  laid 
aside.     She  cluno^  to  her  husband   and  children. 

o 

Others  of  the    children  of  this  captivity  became 
hunters  and  trappers." 

5.  To  know  the  reason  for  the  attack  upon 


54:  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

Deerfield  we  must  go  back  a  little  in  history. 
Nearly  a  hundred  years  before,  French  Catholic 
missionaries  obtained  a  foothold  amono*  the  Iro- 

o 

quois,  or  Five  Nations,  and  established  themselves 
in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  near  the  present  village  of 
Fonda.  The  Indian  name  for  the  place  was  Cough- 
newaga,  by  which  it  is  now  locally  known.  The 
priests  were  pious  and  devoted,  and  their  work 
soon  bore  fruit.  Many  of  the  savages,  especially 
among  the  Mohawks,  gave  up  the  belief  of  their 
fathers  and  espoused  Christianity.  Their  conver 
sion,  although  it  did  not  entirely  civilize,  made 
them  more  peacefully  inclined,  and  quite  a  settle 
ment  grew  up  around  the  mission  station. 

6.  After  several  years  of   varied  success,  the 
work  of  the   missionaries  roused  the  jealousy  of 
the  Mohawk  chiefs,  and  persecutions  commenced. 
The  ceremonies  of  the  church  were  interrupted, 
and  the   members  of  the  little  community  were 
subjected  to  all  kinds  of  annoyances  and  indigni 
ties.     At  last,  one  of  the  missionaries,  a  devoted, 
peace-loving  Christian,  was  set  upon  and  murdered. 
The  other  priests  and  their  Indian  converts  found 
that  their  only  choice  lay  between  death  and  flight, 
and  they  resolved  upon  the  latter. 

7.  The  Mohawks,  content  with  their  leaving, 
did  not  molest  them  on  their  journey.     The  exiles 
took  up  their  line  of  march  down  the  valley  to 


DEERFIELD  AND    THE  ST.  REGIS  BELL.         55 

the  Hudson,  tlience  north  to  Canada  by  the  way 
of  Lake  Champlain.  They  found  refuge  among 
the  Canadian  Algonquins,  hereditary  enemies  of 
the  Iroquois.  In  a  short  time,  the  converted  In 
dians  of  both  races  were  formed  into  a  church,  and 
first  established  themselves  near  the  Lachine  Rap 
ids,  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  A  few  years  later 
they  moved  farther  up  the  river,  and  found  a  per 
manent  resting-place  at  the  point  where  the  forty- 
fifth  parallel,  the  boundary  between  the  United 
States  and  Canada,  strikes  the  river.  Here,  in  the 
little  village  of  St.  Regis,  partly  in  New  York  and 
partly  in  Canada,  their  descendants  still  live. 

8.  Lossing  thus  relates  the  strange  story  of  St. 
Regis  and  its  bell :  "  St.  Regis  is  an  old  Indian  vil 
lage,  the  first  upon  the  river  St.  Lawrence  within  the 
territory  of  the  United  States.    It  contains  a  small 
church  built  about  the  year  1700.     When  com 
pleted,  the  priest  informed  the  Indians  that  a  bell 
was  important  to  their  worship,  and  they  were  or 
dered  to  collect  furs  sufficient  to  purchase    one. 
They  obeyed,  and  the  money  was  sent  to  France 
for  the  purpose.     The  French  and  English  were 
then  at  war.    The  bell  was  shipped,  but  the  vessel 
that  conveyed  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Eng 
lish,  and  was  taken  to  Salem,  Massachusetts,  in  the 
fall  of  1703. 

9.  "  The  bell  was  purchased  for  a  small  church 


56 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


DEERFIELD  AND   THE  ST.  REGIS  BELL.         57 

in  Deerfield,  on  the  Connecticut  River,  the  pastor 
of  which  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Williams  The  priest 
of  St.  Regis  heard  of  the  destination  of  this  bell, 
and  as  the  Governor  of  Canada  wTas  about  to  send 
out  an  expedition,  under  Major  Ronville,  against 
the  colonies  of  New  England,  he  exhorted  the  In 
dians  to  accompany  him  and  get  possession  of  it. 
They  arrived  at  Deerfield  in  the  evening  of  Feb 
ruary  29,  1704.  During  the  night  they  attacked 
the  unsuspecting  villagers,  killed  forty-seven,  and 
made  one  hundred  and  twelve  prisoners. 

1 0.  "  The  bell  was  conveyed  in  triumph  through 
the  forest  to  Lake  Champlain,  to  the  spot  where 
Burlington  now  stands,  and  they  buried  it  with 
the  benedictions  of  Father  Nicolas,  the  priest  of 
St.  Regis,  who  accompanied  them.     Thus  far  they 
had  carried  it,  by  means  of  timber,  upon   their 
shoulders.     They  hastened  home,  and  returned  in 
early  spring  with  oxen  and  sled  to  convey  the  sa 
cred  bell,  now  doubly  hallowed  in  their  minds,  to 
its  destination. 

11.  "The   Indians  of  the   village   had   never 
heard  the  sound  of  a  bell,  and  powerful  was  the 
impression  upon  their  minds  when  its  deep  tones, 
louder  and  louder,  broke  the  silence  of  the  forest, 
as  it  approached  their  village  at  evening,  suspended 
upon  a  cross-piece  of  timber,  and  rung  continually 
by  the   delighted   carriers.     It  was  hung  in  the 


58  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

steeple  with  solemn  ceremony.     On  tlie  subject  of 
this    story,   Mrs.   Sigourney  wrote   her   beautiful 
poem  entitled  "  The  Bell  of  St.  Regis,"  in  which 
occur  these  lines : 
*  Then  down  from  the  burning  church  they  tore 

The  bell  of  tuneful  sound  ; 
And  on  with  their  captive  train  they  bore 
That  wonderful  thing  toward  their  native  shore, 
The  rude  Canadian  bound.' ' 

12.  But  one  sad  day  the  bell  cracked,  and  the 
sweet  tones  were  heard  no  more.    The  whole  church 
went  into  mourning,  and  its  services  were  robbed 
of  half  their  solemn   import.     Years  passed  by, 
but  at  length,  in  1838,  the  situation  became  un 
bearable.    The  bell  was  taken  down  from  the  stee 
ple,  and  committed  to  a  party  of  Indians  chosen 
and  specially  consecrated  for  the  purpose.     Care 
fully  was  it  placed  upon  a  sledge,  and  with  a  suffi 
cient  team  of  horses  it  was  taken  over  the  rough 
roads  of  Northern  New  York  to  the  city  of  Troy. 

13.  It  was  jealously   cared   for   by  day  and 
guarded  by  night.     Unwinking  eyes  kept  watch 
until  the  final  destination  was  reached.    The  watch 
continued  until  every  piece  of  the  sacred  relic  disap 
peared  in  the  flames  of  the  bell-foundry,  and  equally 
vigilant  eyes  watched  the  liquid  metal  as  it  was 
drawn   out  and   poured  into  the  mold.     During 
the  cooling  the  suspense  was  nearly  overpowering. 


DEERFIELD  AND   THE  ST.   REGIS  BELL.         59 

But  at  length  the  black  sand  was  thrown  aside, 
and  the  bell  came  out  in  its  original  shape,  with 
no  ugly  scar  to  mar  the  beauty  of  its  tones.  With 
hearts  beating  in  joy  and  triumph,  the  bell  was 
taken  back  to  St.  Regis,  where  it  was  met  with  a 
joyous  welcome.  A  solemn  holiday  was  devoted 
to  its  hanging  in  the  belfry  ;  and,  to-day,  the  mem 
bers  of  this  primitive  Indian  church  are  called 
to  their  devotions  by  its  silvery  voice  proclaiming 
"  the  glad  tidings  of  great  joy,  peace  on  earth  and 
good-will  to  men." 

14.  There  is  still  another  romance  connected 
with  the  little  church  of  St.  Regis.  Its  minister, 
for  many  years  during  the  second  quarter  of  the 
present  century,  was  the  Rev.  Eleazar  Williams, 
of  Indian  descent,  but  with  so  little  color  as  readily 
to  pass  for  a  white  man.  Some  Frenchman  visit 
ing  the  place  noticed  the  great  resemblance  of  Mr. 
Williams  to  Louis  XVI,  the  Bourbon  monarch  exe 
cuted  in  1794;  and  a  story  was  at  once  put  in  circu 
lation  that  he  was  the  Dauphin,  who  had  escaped 
from  the  hands  of  his  cruel  jailers,  and  had  found 
refuge  in  the  wilderness  of  America.  A  book  was 
written  in  support  of  the  claims  of  Rev.  Mr.  Will 
iams  to  the  throne  of  France ;  but  investigation 
showed  conclusively  that  both  the  princes  perished, 
and  that,  were  they  alive,  Mr.  Williams  had  no 
claim  to  their  kinship. 


60  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY, 

XI. 

THE    CHARTER-OAK. 

1.  "  DURING   the   reign   of   Charles   II,"   says 
"  Grandfather's    Chair,"   "  the   American   colonies 
had  but  little  reason  to  complain  of  harsh  or  ty 
rannical  treatment.     But  when  Charles  died,  in 
1685,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  brother  James, 
the  patriarchs  of  New  England  began  to  tremble. 
King  James  was  bigoted,  and  was  known  to  be  of 
an  arbitrary  temper ;  and  our  forefathers  felt  that 
they  had  no  security,  either  for  their  religion  or 
their  liberties. 

2.  "The  result  proved  that  they  had  reason 
for  their  apprehensions.     King  James  caused  the 
charters  of  all  the  American  colonies  to  be  taken 
away.     The  old  charter  of  Massachusetts,  which 
the  people  regarded  as  a  holy  thing,  and  as  the 
foundation  of  all  their  liberties,  was  declared  void. 
The  colonists  were  no  longer  freemen ;  they  were 
entirely  dependent   on  the  king's   pleasure.     At 
first,  in  1685,  he  appointed  Joseph  Dudley,  a  na 
tive  of  Massachusetts,  to  be  Governor  of    New 
England.     But,  soon  afterward,  Sir  Edmund  An- 
dros,  an  officer  of  the  English  army,  arrived,  with 
a  commission  to  be  Governor-General  of  New  Eng 
land  and  New  York 


THE  CHARTER-OAK.  61 

3.  "  The  king  had  given  such  powers  to  Sir 
Edmund  Andros  that  there  was  now  no  liberty 
nor  scarcely  any  law  in  the  colonies  over  which  he 
ruled.    The  inhabitants  were  not  allowed  to  choose 
representatives,   and  consequently  had   no   voice 
whatever   in   the   government,    nor   control   over 
the  measures  that  were  adopted.     The  councilors 
with  whom  the  Governor  consulted  on  matters  of 
state  were    appointed    by  himself.     This  sort  of 
government  was  no  better  than  an  absolute  des 
potism." 

4.  But   Connecticut   refused    to   give   up  her 
charter,  and  here  begins  the  history  of  the  charter- 
oak.    In  October,  1687,  Andros  went  to  Hartford, 
at  the  head  of  a  troop  of  soldiers,  to  demand  the 
charter.     The  General  Court  was  in  session,  and 
before  it  Andros  pressed  his  demand,  and  declared 
that  the  government  with  this  charter  was  at  an 
end.     He  permitted  the  subject,  however,  to  be 
debated,  and  Governor  Treat  defended  their  right 
to  the  charter,  describing  the  sufferings  the  early 
settlers  had  endured  in  making  their  home  in  the 
wilderness.     The  charter,  all  this  time,  lay  in  a 
box  on  the  table. 

5.  The   debate   continued  till  evening,  when 
the  candles  were  lighted.     A  large  and  excited 
multitude  had  collected  at  the  building.     Andros 
ordered  the  charter  to  be  handed  him,  and  reached 


62  STOLIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

out  his  hand  for  it.     Suddenly  the  lights  were  put 
out.     The  crowd   shouted.     Captain  Wadsworth 


Andros  demanding  the   Charter  of  Connecticut. 

seized  the  charter  and  carried  it  away  in  the  dark 
ness.  There  was  a  venerable  oak  in  front  of  the 
mansion  of  Samuel  Wyllys,  a  magistrate  of  the 
colony.  In  a  cavity  in  the  heart  of  this  oak  the 
charter  was  hid. 

6.  "  The  famous  charter-oak,  in  the  city  of 
Hartford,"  says  Lossing,  "was  standing  in  the 
height  of  its  glory,  and  estimated  to  be  six  hun- 


THE  CHARTER-OAK.  63 

ared  years  old,  when  the  good  Hooker  and  his  fol 
lowers  planted  the  seeds  of  a  commonwealth  there. 
It  was  on  a  slope  of  Wyllys's  Hill.  During  a  lull 
in  the  storm  at  the  autumnal  equinox,  in  184S,  I 
stood  in  Charter  Street,  sheltered  by  a  friend's 
umbrella,  and  sketched  that  venerable  tree — a 
4 gnarled  oak'  indeed.  Its  circumference,  a  foot 
from  the  ground,  was  twenty -five  feet. 

7o  "  The  orifice  through  which  the  charter  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  Connecticut  was  thrust,  on 
the  memorable  night  of  the  31st  of  October,  1687, 
was  smaller  at  the  time  of  my  visit  (scarcely  ad 
mitting  my  hand)  than  in  the  days  of  Andros,  but 
the  cavity  remained  the  same.  Sixty  years  ago  a 
lady  wrote  of  the  charter-oak,  saying :  i  Age  seems 
to  have  curtailed  its  branches,  yet  it  is  not  ex 
ceeded  in  the  height  of  its  coloring  or  richness  of 
its  foliage.  The  cavity  which  was  the  asylum  of 
our  charter  was  near  the  roots,  and  large  enough 
to  admit  a  child.' 

8.  "  Within  the  space  of  eight  years  that  cavity 
has  closed,  as  if  it  had  fulfilled  the  divine  purpose 
for  which  the  tree  had  been  reared."  On  a  stormy 
night  in  August,  1854,  the  old  oak  was  prostrated ; 
and  now  almost  every  particle  of  it  is  in  some 
pleasing  form  wrought  by  the  cunning  hand  of  ait, 
and  cherished  as  a  memento  of  a  curious  episode 
m  our  colonial  history. 


64:  STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY, 

XII. 

WITCHCRAFT 

1.  SIR  WILLIAM  PIIIPPS  became  Governor  oi 
Massachusetts  in  1692.     Almost  as  soon  as  he  as 
sumed   the  government,  he   became    engaged   in 
a  frightful  business,  which  might  have  perplexed 
a  wiser  and  better  cultivated  head  than  his.    This 
was  the  witchcraft  delusion,  which  originated  in 
the  wicked  arts  of  a  few  children.    They  belonged 
to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pains,  minister  of  Salem.     These 
children  complained  of  being  pinched  and  pricked 
with  pins,  and  otherwise  tormented  by  the  shapes 
of  men  and  women,  who  were  supposed  to  have 
power  to  haunt  them  invisibly,  both  in  darkness 
and  daylight. 

2.  Often,   in   the   midst   of   their  family  and 
friends,  the  children  would  pretend  to  be  seized 
with  strange  convulsions,  and  would  cry  out  that 
the  witches  were  afflicting  them.     These    stories 
spread  abroad,  and  caused  great  tumult  and  alarm. 
From  the  foundation  of  New  England,  it  had  been 
the  custom  of  the  inhabitants,  in  matters  of  doubt 
and  difficulty,  to  look  to  their  ministers  for  coun 
sel.      So  they  did  now  ;  but,   unfortunately,  the 
ministers  and  wise  men  were  more  deluded  than 
the  illiterate  people.    Cotton  Mather,  a  very  learned 


WITCHCRAFT.  65 

and  eminent  clergyman,  believed  that  the  whole 
country  was  full  of  witches  and  wizards,  who  had 
given  up  their  hopes  of  heaven,  and  signed  a  cove 
nant  with  the  evil-one. 

3.  Nobody  could  be  certain  that  his  nearest 
neighbor  or  most  intimate  friend  was  not  guilty  of 
this  imaginary  crime.     The  number  of  those  who 
pretended  to  be  afflicted  by  witchcraft  grew  daily 
more  numerous ;  and  they  bore  testimony  against 
many  of  the  best  and  worthiest  people.     A  min 
ister,  named  George  Burroughs,  was  among  the 
accused.     In  the  months  of  August  and  Septem 
ber,  1692,  he  and  nineteen  other  innocent  men  and 
women  were  put  to  death.    The  place  of  execution 
was  a  high  hill,  on  the  outskirts  of  Salem  ;  so  that 
many  of  the  sufferers,  as  they  stood  beneath  the 
gallows,  could  discern  their  habitations  in  the  town. 

4.  The  martyrdom  of  these  guiltless  persons 
served  only  to  increase  the  madness.    The  afflicted 
now  grew  bolder  in  their  accusations.     Many  peo 
ple  of  rank  and  wealth  were  either  thrown  into 
prison  or  compelled  to  flee  for  their  lives.    Among 
these  were  two  sons  of  old  Simon  Brad  street,  the 
last  of  the  Puritan   governors.      Mr.  Willard,   a 
pious  minister  of  Boston,  was  cried  out  upon  as  a 
wizard  in  open  court.     Mrs.  Hale,  the  wife  of  the 
minister  of  Beverly,  was  likewise  accused.     Philip 
English,  a  rich  merchant  of  Salem?  found  it  neces- 


66  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

sary  to  take  flight,  leaving  his  property  and  busi 
ness  in  confusion.  But,  a  short  time  afterward, 
the  Salem  people  were  glad  to  invite  him  back. 

5.  The  boldest  thing  the  accusers  did  was  to 
cry  out  against  the  Governor's  own  beloved  wife. 
Yes,  the  lady  of  Sir  William  Phipps  was  accused 
of  being  a  witch,  and  of  flying  through  the  air  to 
attend  witch-meetings.    When  the  Governor  heard 
this,  he  probably  trembled. 

6.  Our  forefathers  soon  became  convinced  that 
they  had  been  led  into  a  terrible  delusion.    All  the 
prisoners  on  account  of  witchcraft  were  set  free. 
But  the  innocent  dead  could  not  be  restored  to 
life ;  and  the  hill  where  they  were  executed  will 
always  remind  people  of  the  saddest  and  most  hu 
miliating  passage  in  our  history. 

Hawthorne. 


XIII. 

THE  ACADIAN    EXILES. 


1.  THE  conquest  of  Acadia,  now  Nova  Scotia, 
occurred  near  the  beginning  of  the  French  War  in 
1755.  "Three  men  sailed  from  Boston,  under 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Winslow,  on  the  29th  of  May, 
for  the  expedition  against  Nova  Scotia.  This 


THE  ACADIAN  EXILES.  67 

Winslow  was  the  great-grandson  of  the  Plymouth 
patriarch,  and  grandson  of  the  commander  of  the 
New  England  forces  in  King  Philip's  War.  At 
the  Bay  of  Fundy  he  was  joined  by  three  hundred 
British  regulars,  and,  advancing  against  the  French 
forts,  took  possession  of  them  in  five  days ;  and,  no 
sooner  did  the  English  fleet  appear  in  the  St.  John's 
River,  than  the  French,  setting  fire  to  their  fort  at 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  evacuated  the  country. 

2.  The  English  thus,  with  the  loss  of  about 
twenty  men,  found  themselves  in  possession  of  the 
whole  of  Nova  Scotia.     Then  the  question  arose, 
What  was  to  be  done  with  the  people  ?     Acadia 
was  the  oldest  French  colony  in  Nova  Scotia  and 
America,  having  been  settled  by  Britons  sixteen 
years  before  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim  fathers. 
Thirty  years  before  the  present  war,  the  Treaty  of 
Utrecht,  made   between  the  English  and  French, 
had  given  Acadia  to  Great  Britain.     Yet  the  set 
tlement  remained  French  in  spirit,  character,  and 
religion. 

3.  By    the    terms    granted   to   the   Acadians 
when  the  British  took  possession,  they  were  ex 
cused  from  bearing  arms  against  France,  and  were 
thence  known  as  "French  neutrals."     From  the 
time  of  the  Peace  of  Utrecht,  they  appear,  how 
ever,  almost  to  have  been  forgotten,  until  the  pres 
ent  war  brought  them,  to  their  great  misfortune, 


68  STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

back  to  remembrance.  Their  life  had  been  one 
of  Arcadian  peace  and  simplicity.  Neither  tax- 
gatherer  nor  magistrate  was  seen  among  them. 
Their  parish  priests,  sent  over  from  Canada,  were 
their  supreme  head. 

4.  By  unwearied  labor  they  had  secured  the 
rich,  alluvial  marshes  from  the  rivers  and  sea,  and 
their  wealth  consisted  in  flocks  and  herds.     Their 
houses,  gathered  in  hamlets,  were  full  of  the  com 
forts  and  simple  luxuries  of  their  position.     Their 
clothing  was  warm,   abundant,   and  home-made, 
spun  and  wove  from  the  flax  of  their  fields  and 
the  fleeces  of  their  flocks.     Thus  were  the  Aca- 
dians  prosperous  and  happy  as  one  great  family  of 
love.    Their  population,  which  had  doubled  within 
the  last  thirty  years,   amounted  at  this  time  to 
about  three  thousand. 

5.  Unfortunately,  these    good   Acadians   had 
not  strictly  adhered  to  their  character  of  neutrals. 
Three  hundred  of  their  young  men  had  been  taken 
in  arms,  and  one  of  their  priests  was  detected  as 
an  active  French  agent.     It  was  resolved,  there 
fore,  to  remove  them  from  their  present  position, 
in  which  they  had  every  opportunity  of  aiding  the 
French.     Lawrence,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Nova 
Scotia,  Boscawen,  and  Mostyn,  commanders  of  the 
British  fleet,  consulted  with  Belcher,  Chief-Justice 
of  the  province,  and  the  result  was  a  scheme  of 


THE  ACADIAN  EXILES.  69 

kidnapping  and  conveying  them  to  the  various 
British  provinces,  although,  at  the  capitulation  of 
Beau  Sejour,  it  had  been  strictly  provided  that  the 
neighboring  inhabitants  should  not  be  disturbed. 

6.  But,  no  matter;  they  must  be  got  rid  of, 
for  there  was  no  secure  possession  for  the  English 
while  they,  bound  by  all  the    ties  of  language, 
affection,  and  religion  to  France,  remained  there. 
A  sadder  incident  of  wholesale  outrage  hardly  oc 
curs  in  history  than  this.     The  design  was  kept 
strictly  secret,   lest    the   people,    excited    by   de 
spair,  should  rise  en  masse  against  their  oppressors. 
Obeying  the  command,  therefore,  to  assemble  at 
their  parish  churches,  they  were  surrounded  by 
soldiers,  taken  prisoners  and  marched  off,  without 
ceremony,  to  the  ships  for  transportation. 

7.  At  Grand  Pre,  four  hundred  men,  unarmed, 
came  together,  when  Winslow,  the  English  com 
mander,  addressed  them  as  follows  :  "  Your  lands 
and  tenements,  cattle  of   all  kinds,  and  live  stock 
of  all  sorts,  are  forfeited  to  the  crown,  and  you 
yourselves  are  to  be  removed  from  this  province. 
I  am,  through  His  Majesty's  goodness,  directed  to 
allow  you  to  carry  off  your  money,  and  your  house 
hold  goods,  as  many  as  you  can  without  crowding 
the  vessels   you  go  in."     They  were  the  king's 
prisoners  ;  their  wives  and  families  shared  their 
lot ;  their  sons,  their  daughters,  the  whole  amount- 


a?! 


THE  ACADIAN  EXILES.  71 

ing  to  about  three  thousand  souls.  They  had  left 
home  in  the  morning;  they  were  never  to  return. 
Wonderful  it  seems  that  Heaven  left  such  an  out 
rage  on  humanity  unavenged  on  the  spot. 

8.  The  10th  of  September  was  the  day  of  trans 
portation.    They  were  marched  down  to  the  vessels 
six  abreast;  the  young  men  first,  driven  forward 
by  the  bayonet,  but  not  a  weapon  was  allowed  to 
them.     It  was  a  scene  of  heart-breaking  misery, 
and,  in  the  confusion  of  embarkation,  wives  were 
separated  from  husbands,  parents  from  children, 
never  to  meet  again.     It  was  two  months  before 
the  last  of  the   unhappy  people   were   conveyed 
away,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  many  fled  to  the 
woods.     But  even  this  availed  nothing.     The  piti 
less  conquerors  had  already  destroyed  the  harvests, 
to  compel  their  surrender,  and  burned  their  former 
homes  to  the  ground. 

9.  Some  of  these  poor,  unhappy  people  were 
sent  to  every  British  North  American  colony,  where, 
broken-hearted  and  disconsolate,  they  became  bur 
dens  on  public  charity,  and  failed  not  to  excite 
pity  by  their  misery,  in  spite  of  the  hatred  to  them 
as  Catholics.    Some  few  made  their  way  to  France, 
others  to  Canada,  Santo  Domingo,  and  Louisiana. 
To  those  who  reached  the  latter  country,  lands 
were  assigned  above  New  Orleans,  still  known  as 
the  Acadian  coast. 


72  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

10.  A  number  of  those  sent  to  Georgia  con 
structed  rude  boats,  and  endeavored  to  return  to 
their  beloved  homes  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  Gen 
erally  speaking,  they  died  in  exile,  the  victims  of 
dejection  and  despair.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
one  of  the  finest  poems  America  has  produced, 
"  Evangeline,"  by  Longfellow,  is  founded  on  this 
cruel  and  unjustifiable  outrage  on  humanity. 

Mary  Howitt. 


XIV. 

WILLIAM    PENN    AND   THE    INDIANS. 

1.  Iisr  consideration  of  the  services  of  Admiral 
Penn,  James  II  granted  to  his  son,  William  Penn, 
the  whole  territory  now  covered  by  the  States  of 
New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania.  In  1682  Penn 
sailed  from  England,  with  two  thousand  colonists, 
to  take  possession  of  his  immense  farm.  He  landed 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Delaware  River,  and  called 
the  place  Philadelphia,  or  the  City  of  Brotherly 
Love.  Penn  had  been  converted  to  the  peace 
principles  of  the  Friends,  as  they  called  themselves, 
or  the  Quakers,  as  they  were  named  by  others 
The  country  took  the  name  of  Pennsylvania,  and, 


WILLIAM  PENN  AND   THE  INDIANS.  73 

as  its  affairs  were  conducted  with  prudence  and 
wisdom,  it  flourished  from  the  very  start. 

2.  The  country  assigned  to  him  by  the  royal 
charter  was  yet  full  of  the  original  inhabitants, 
and  the  principles  of  William  Penn  did  not  allow 
him  to  look  upon  that  gift  as  a  warrant  to  drive 
away  the  Indians  from  their  own  land.     He  had, 
accordingly,   the   preceding   year,    appointed   his 
commissioners  to  treat  with  them  for  the  fair  pur 
chase  of  a  part  of  their  lands,  and  for  their  joint 
possession  of  the  remainder  ;  and  the  terms  of  the 
settlement  being  now  nearly  agreed  upon,  he  pro 
ceeded,  very  soon  after  his  arrival,  to  conclude  the 
settlement,    and  solemnly 

to  pledge  his  faith,  and 
to  ratify  and  confirm  the 
treaty,  in  sight  of  both 
the  Indians  and  planters. 

3.  For  this  purpose,  a 
grand  convocation  of  the 
tribes  had  been  appointed 
near  the  spot  where  Phila 
delphia  now  stands;   and 
it    was    agreed    that    he 
and  the  presiding  sachems 

should  meet  and  exchange  faith  under  the  spread 
ing  branches  of  a  huge  elm- tree  that  grew  on  the 
bank  of  the  river.  On  the  day  appointed,  accord- 


74  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

ingly,  an  innumerable  multitude  of  the  Indians 
assembled  in  that  neighborhood,  and  were  seen, 
with  their  dark  faces  and  brandished  arms,  mov 
ing  in  vast  swarms  in  the  depth  of  the  woods 
which  then  overshadowed  the  whole  of  that  now 
cultivated  region. 

4.  On  the  other  hand,  William  Penn,  with  a 
few  friends,  advanced  to  meet  them.     He  came, 
of  course,  unarmed,  in  his  usual  plain  dress,  with 
out  banners,  or  mace,  or  guard,  or  carriages ;  and 
only  distinguished  from  his  companions  by  wear 
ing  a  blue  sash  of  silk  network,  and  by  having  in 
his  hand  a  roll  of  parchment,  on  which  was  en 
grossed  the  confirmation  of  the  treaty  of  purchase 
and  amity.    As  soon  as  he  drew  near  the  spot  where 
the  sachems  were  assembled,  the  whole  multitude 
of  Indians  threw  down  their  weapons,  and  seated 
themselves  on  the  ground  in  groups,  each  under 
his  own  chieftain;  and  the  presiding  chief   inti 
mated  to  William  Penn  that  the  nations  were  ready 
to  hear  him. 

5.  Having  been  thus  called  upon,  he  began : 
"  The  Great  Spirit,"  he  said,  "  who  made  him  and 
them,  who  ruleth  the  heaven  and  the  earth,  and 
who  knew  the  innermost  thoughts  of  man,  knew 
that  he  and  his  friends   had  a  desire  to  live  in 
peace  and  friendship  with  them  to  the  utmost  of 
their  power.     It  was  not  their  custom  to  use  hos- 


WILLIAM  PENN  AND   THE  INDIANS.  75 

tile  weapons  against  their  fellow  -  creatures,  for 
which  reason  they  had  come  unarmed.  Their  ob 
ject  was  not  to  do  injury,  and  thus  provoke  the 
Great  Spirit,  but  to  do  good.  They  were  there 
met  on  the  broad  pathway  of  good  faith  and  good 
will,  so  that  no  advantage  was  to  be  taken  on 
either  side,  but  all  was  to  be  openness,  brother 
hood,  and  love." 

6.  After  these  and  other  words,  he  unrolled 
the  parchment,  and  conveyed  to  them,  by  the  in 
terpreter,  the  conditions  of  the  purchase.     Among 
other  things,  they  were  not  to  be  molested  in  their 
lawful  pursuits,  even  in  the  territory  they  had 
alienated,  for  it  was  to  be  common  to  them  and 
the  English.    If  any  disputes  should  arise  between 
the  two,  they  should  be  settled  by  twelve  persons, 
half  of  whom  should  be  English  and  half  Indians. 

7.  He  then  paid  them  for  the  land,  and  made 
them  many  presents  besides  from  the  merchandise 
which  had  been  spread  before  them.    Having  done 
this,  he  spread  the  parchment  on  the  ground,  ob 
serving  again  that  the  ground  should  be  common 
to  both  people.     He  then  added  that  he  would 
not  do  as  the  Marylauders  did — that  is,  call  them 
children  and  brothers  only — for  often  parents  whip 
their  children  too  severely,  and  brothers  sometimes 
would  differ ;  neither  would  he  compare  the  friend 
ship  between  them  to  a  chain,  for  the  rain  might 


76  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

sometimes  rust  it,  or  a  tree  might  fall  and  break 
it ;  but  he  should  consider  them  as  the  same  flesh 
and  blood  with  the  Christians,  and  the  same  as 
if  one  man's  body  had  been  divided  into  two 
parts. 

8.  He  then  took  up  the  parchment,  and  pre 
sented  it  to  the  sachem  who  wore  the  horn  in  the 
chaplet,  and  desired  him  and  the  other  sachems  to 
preserve  it  carefully  for   three  generations,  that 
their  children  might  know  what  had  passed  be 
tween  them,  just  as  if  he  himself  had  remained  to 
repeat  it.     The  Indians,  in  return,  made  long  and 
stately  speeches,  in  which  they  pledged  themselves 
to  live  in  love  with  William  Penn  and  his  chil 
dren,  as  long  as  the  sun  and  moon  should  endure. 
And  thus  ended  this  famous   treaty  ;  of   which 
Voltaire  has  remarked,  with  so  much  truth  and 
severity,  "  that  it  was  the  only  one  ever  concluded 
between  Christians  and  savages  that  was  not  rati 
fied  by  an  oath,  and  the  only  one  that  was  never 
broken." 

9.  Such,  indeed,  was  the  spirit  in  which  the 
negotiation  was  entered  into,  and  the  corresponding 
settlement  conducted,  that,  for  the  space  of  more 
than  seventy  years,  and  so  long  as  the  Quakers 
retained  the  chief  power  in  the  government,  the 
peace  which  had   been  thus  solemnly  concluded 
was  never  violated.     We  can  not  bring  ourselves 


THE  PINE-TREE  SHILLINGS.  77 

to  wish  that  there  were  none  but  Quakers  in  the 
world,  because  we  fear  it  would  be  insupportably 
dull.  But,  when  we  consider  what  great  evils 
daily  arise  from  the  ambition  and  irritability  of 
sovereigns  and  ministers,  we  can  not  help  thinking 
that  it  would  be  best  to  choose  all  those  ruling 
personages  out  of  that  plain,  pacific,  and  sober- 
minded  sect. 


xv. 

THE    PINE-TREE    SHILLINGS. 

1.  IN  the  early  colonial  days  Captain  John 
Hull  was  the  mint-master  of  Massachusetts,  and 
coined  all  the  money  that  was  made  there.  This 
was  a  new  line  of  business  ;  for,  in  the  earlier  days 
of  the  colony,  the  current  coinage  consisted  of  gold 
and  silver  money  of  England,  Portugal,  and  Spain. 
These  coins  being  scarce,  the  people  were  often 
forced  to  barter  their  commodities  instead  of  sell 
ing  them.  For  instance,  if  a  man  wanted  to  buy 
a  coat,  he  perhaps  exchanged  a  bear's  skin  for  it. 
Musket -bullets  were  used  instead  of  farthings. 
The  Indians  had  a  sort  of  money,  called  wampum, 
which  was  made  of  clam-shells  ;  and  this  strange 
sort  of  specie  was  taken  in  payment  of  debts  by 


78  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

the  English  settlers.     Bank-bills  had  never  been 
heard  of. 

2.  As  the  people  grew  more  numerous,  and 
their  trade  one  with  another  increased,  the  want 
of  current  money  was  more  sensibly  felt.    To  sup 
ply  the  demand,  the  General  Court  established  a 
coinage  of   shillings,  sixpences,   and  threepences. 
Captain  John  Hull  was  appointed  to  manufacture 
this  money,  and  was  to  have  about  one  shilling 
out  of  every  twenty  to  pay  him  for  the  trouble  of 
making  them.     Then  all  the  old  silver  in  the  col 
ony  was  handed  over  to  Captain  John  Hull.    The 
battered  silver  cans  and  tankards,  and  silver  buck 
les,  and  broken  spoons,  and  silver  buttons,  and  hilts 
of  swords  were  thrown  into  the  melting-pot  to 
gether.     But  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  silver 
consisted  of   bullion   from    the   mines  of   South 
America,  which  the  English  buccaneers  had  taken 
from  the    Spaniards   and   brought   to   Massachu 
setts. 

3.  All  this  old  and  new  silver  being  melted 
down   and   coined,    the   result   was   an   immense 
amount  of   shillings,  sixpences,  and  threepences. 
Each  had  the  date,  1652,  on  the  one  side,  and  the 
figure  of  a  pine-tree  on  the  other.     Hence   they 
were  called  pine-tree  shillings. 

4.  When  the  mint-master,  Captain  John  Hull, 
had  grown  very  rich,  a  young  man  by  the  name  of 


THE  PINE-TREK  SHILLINGS.  79 

Samuel  Sewell  came  a-courting  his  only  daughter. 
His  daughter,  Betsy,  was  a  fine,  hearty  damsel,  by 
no  means  as  slender  as  some  young  ladies  of  our 
own  days.  On  the  contrary,  having  always  fed 
heartily  on  pumpkin-pies,  doughnuts,  Indian  pud 
dings,  and  other  Puritan  dainties,  she  was  as  round 
and  plump  as  a  pudding  itself.  With  this  round, 
rosy  face  did  Samuel  Sewell  fall  in  love.  As  he 
was  a  young  man  of  good  character,  the  mint-mas 
ter  very  r,eadily  gave  his  consent.  "  Yes,  you  may 
take  her,"  said  he,  in  his  rough  way ;  "  and  you'll 
find  her  a  heavy  burden  enough  ! " 

5.  On   the   wedding-day,  John   Hull   dressed 
himself  in  a  plum-colored  coat,  all  the  buttons  of 
which  were  made  of  pine-tree  shillings.     The  but 
tons  of  his  waistcoat  were  sixpences,  and  the  knees 
of   his   small-clothes   were   buttoned   with   silver 
threepences.    Opposite  to  him,  between  her  bride- 
maids,  sat  Miss  Betsy.     She  was  blushing  with  all 
her  might,  and  looked  like  a  full-blown   peony, 
or  a  great  red  apple.     There,  too,  was  the  bride 
groom,  dressed  with  as  much  finery  as  the  Puri 
tan   laws  and   customs    would  allow.      His   hair 
was  cropped  close  to  his  ears,  because  Governor 
Endicott  had  forbidden  any  man  to  wear  it  below 
his  ears. 

6.  The  mint-master  was  pleased  with  his  son- 
in-law,  especially  as  he  had  courted  Miss  Betsy 


80  STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

out  of  pure  love,  and  had  said  nothing  at  all  about 
her  portion.  So,  when  the  marriage  ceremony 
was  over,  Captain  Hull  whispered  a  word  to  two 
of  his  men,  who  immediately  went  out,  and  soon 
returned  lugging  a  large  pair  of  scales.  "  Daughter 
Betsy,"  said  the  mint-master,  aget  into  one  side  of 
these  scales."  Miss  Betsy — or  Mrs.  Sewell,  as  we 
must  now  call  her — did  as  she  was  bid,  like  a  du 
tiful  child,  without  any  question  of  the  why  and 
wherefore.  But  what  her  father  could  mean,  un 
less  to  make  her  husband  pay  for  her  by  the  pound, 
she  had  not  the  least  idea. 

7.  "  And  now,"  said  honest  John  Hull  to  the 
servants,  "  bring  that  box  hither."     The  box  to 
which  the  mint-master  pointed  was  a  huge,  square, 
iron-bound,  oaken   chest.      The   servants    tugged 
with  might  and  main,  but  could  not  lift  this  enor 
mous  receptacle,  and  were  obliged  to  drag  it  across 
the  floor.     Captain  Hull  then  took  a  key  from  his 
girdle,  unlocked  the  chest,  and  lifted  its  ponderous 
lid.     Behold !  it  was  full  to  the  brim  of  bright 
pine-tree  shillings,  fresh  from  the  mint ;  and  Sam 
uel  Sewell  began  to  think  that  his  father-in-law 
had  got  possession  of  all  the  money  in  the  Massa 
chusetts  treasury. 

8.  Then  the  servants,  at  Captain  Hull's  com 
mand,  heaped  double  handfuls  of  shillings  into 
one  side  of  the  scales,  while  Betsy  remained  in  the 


THE  OLD   FRENCH   WAR.  81 

other.  Jingle,  jingle,  went  the  shillings,  as  hand 
ful  after  handful  was  thrown  in,  till,  plump  and 
ponderous  as  she  was,  they  fairly  weighed  down 
the  young  lady  from  the  floor.  u  There,  son  Sew- 
ell ! "  cried  the  honest  mint-master,  "  take  these 
shillings  for  my  daughter's  portion.  Use  her  kind 
ly,  and  thank  Heaven  for  her.  It  is  not  every  wife 
that's  worth  her  weight  in  silver !  " 

Hawthorne. 


XVI. 
THE    OLD    FRENCH    WAR. 

1.  THE  English  and  the  French  were  the  prin 
cipal  claimants  for  the  territory  now  occupied  by 
the  Eastern  United  States.  The  French  had  colo 
nies  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  English  on  the 
Hudson,  and  for  many  years  these  settlements  did 
not  interfere  with  each  other.  But,  as  the  rule  of 
each  extended,  they  at  last  came  into  collision,  and 
then  came  war.  The  main  route  of  communication 
between  the  Hudson  and  the  St.  Lawrence  was  by 
the  way  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  hence  the  valley 
of  this  lake  became  the  battle-field  for  the  two 
most  powerful  nations  of  the  world  contending  for 
a  continent. 


82  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

2.  The  woods  of  the  North  were  populous  with 
fighting-men.     All  the  Indian  tribes  uplifted  their 
tomahawks,  and  took  part  either  with  the  French 
or  English.     The  rattle  of  musketry  and  roar  of 
cannon  disturbed  the  ancient  quiet  of  the  forest, 
and  actually  drove  the  bears  and  other  wild  beasts 
to  the  more  cultivated  portion  of  the  country  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  seaports.     The  first  important 
conflict  occurred  at  the  battle  of  Lake  George,  in 
1755,  when  the  gallant  Colonel  Williams,  a  Mas 
sachusetts   officer,   was   slain,  with   many  of   his 
countrymen.      But    General    Johnson    and    Gen 
eral  Lyman  drove  back  the  enemy,  and  mortally 
wounded  the  French  leader,  Baron  Dieskau.     A 
gold  watch,  pilfered  from  the  poor  baron,  is  still  in 
existence,  and  marks  each  moment  of  time,  with 
out  weariness,  although  its  hands  have  been  in 
motion  ever  since  the  hour  of  battle. 

3.  In  the  first  years  of  the  war  there  were 
many  disasters  on  the  English  side.    Among  these 
was  the  loss  of  Fort  Oswego  in  1756,  and  of  Fort 
William  Henry  in  the  following  year.     But  the 
greatest  misfortune  that  befell  the  English  during 
the  whole  war  was  the  repulse  of  General  Aber- 
crombie,  with  his  army,  from  the  ramparts  of  Ti- 
conderoga  in  1758.     He  attempted  to  storm  the 
walls,  but  a  terrible  conflict  ensued,  in  which  more 
than  two  thousand  Englishmen  and  New-England- 


THE  OLD  FRENCH:  WAR.  83 

ers  were  killed  and  wounded.  The  slain  soldiers 
now  lie  buried  around  that  ancient  fortress.  When 
the  plow  passes  over  the  soil,  it  turns  up  here  and 
there  a  moldering  bone. 

4.  Up  to  this  period,  none  of  the  English  gen 
erals  had  shown  any  military  talent.     Shirley,  the 
Earl  of  Loudoun,  and  General  Abercrombie,  had 
each  held  the  chief  command  at  different  times ; 
but  not  one  of  them  had  won  a  single  important 
triumph  for  the  British   arms.     This  ill  success 
was  not  owing  to  the  w^ant  of  means  ;  for,  in  1758, 
General  Abercrombie  had  fifteen  thousand  soldiers 
under  his  command.     But  the  French  general,  the 
famous  Marquis  de  Montcalm,  possessed  a  great 
genius  for  war,  and  had  something  within  him  that 
taught  him  how  battles  were  won. 

5.  At   length,  in  1759,  Sir   Jeffery  Amherst 
was  appointed  Commander-in-chief  of  all  the  Brit 
ish  forces  in  America.     He  was  a  man  of  ability 
and  a  skillful  soldier.    A  plan  was  now  formed  for 
accomplishing  that  object  which  had  so  long  been 
the  darling  wish  of  the  New-Englanders,  and  which 
their  fathers  had  so  many  times  attempted.     This 
was  the  conquest  of  Canada.     Three  separate  ar 
mies  were  to  enter  Canada  from  different  quarters. 
One  of  them,  commanded  by  General  Prideaux, 
was  to  embark  on  Lake  Ontario  and  proceed  tp 
Montreal.     The  second,  at  the  head  of  which  was 


84  STORIES  OF  OUR  COUNTRY, 

Sir  Jeffery  Amherst  himself,  was  destined  to  reach 
the  river  St.  Lawrence  by  way  of  Lake  Chain- 
plain,  and  then  go  down  the  river  to  meet  the 
third  army.  This  last,  led  by  General  Wolfe,  was 
to  enter  the  St.  Lawrence  from  the  sea  and  ascend 
the  river  to  Quebec.  It  is  to  Wolfe  and  his  army 
that  England  owes  one  of  the  most  splendid  tri 
umphs  ever  written  in  her  history. 

6.  Wolfe  led  his  soldiers  up  a  rugged  and  lofty 
precipice,  that  rose  from  the  shore  of  the  river  to 
the  plain  on  which  the  city  stood.     This  bold  ad 
venture  was  achieved  in  the  darkness  of  night. 
At  daybreak  tidings  were  carried  to  the  Marquis 
de  Montcalm  that  the  English  army  was  waiting 
to  give  him  battle  on  the  Plains  of  Abraham.   This 
brave  French  general  ordered  his  drums  to  strike 
up,  and  immediately  marched  to  encounter  Wolfe. 

7.  He  marched  to  his  own  death.     The  battle 
was  the  most  fierce  and  terrible  that  had  ever  been 
fought  in  America.    General  Wolfe  was  at  the  head 
of  his  soldiers,  and,  while  encouraging  them  on 
ward,  received  a  mortal  wound.  He  reclined  against 
a  stone  in  the  agonies  of  death,  but  it  seemed  as  if 
his  spirit  could  not  pass  away  while  the  fight  yet 
raged  so  doubtfully.    Suddenly  a  shout  came  peal 
ing  across  the  battle-field  :  "  They  flee  !  they  flee  ! " 
sgid  for  a  moment  Wolfe  lifted  his  languid  head. 
"  Who  flee  ?  "  he  inquired.    "  The  French,"  replied 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON.  85 

an  officer.  "  Then  I  die  satisfied,"  said  Wolfe,  and 
expired  in  the  arms  of  victory.  We  may  consider 
the  French  War  as  having  terminated  with  this 
great  event. 


XVII. 

GEORGE   WASHINGTON. 

1.  WHEN  George  Washington  was  just  enter 
ing  manhood,  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor 
of  Virginia  as  a  peace  commissioner,  to  traverse 
the  wilderness,  five  hundred  and  sixty  miles  in 
breadth,  until  he  should  arrive  at  some  French 
post  on  the  waters  of  the  Ohio.     The  enterprise 
was  considered  so  perilous  that  no  one  could  be 
found  who  would  undertake  it  until  Washington 
volunteered.     He  was  then  but  twenty  years  and 
six  months  of  age.     When  Governor  Dinwiddie, 
a  sturdy  old  Scotchman,  eagerly  accepted  his  prof 
fered  service,  he  exclaimed,  "  Truly  you  are  a  brave 
lad,  and  if  you  play  your  cards  well  you  shall 
have  no  cause  to  repent  your  bargain." 

2.  Washington  took  with  him  eight  men,  two 
of  them  Indians,  with  horses,  tents,  baggage,  and 
provisions,  and  plunged  into  the  pathless  forest. 
The  gales  of  approaching  winter  sighed  through 


86  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

the  tree-tops.  The  falling  snow  whitened  the  sum 
mits  of  the  mountains,  and  the  streams  came  roar 
ing  from  the  hills  and  flooded  the  valleys.  Fol 
lowing  their  Indian  guides,  they  soon  reached  the 
Monongahela  River,  and,  passing  down  its  waters 
in  a  canoe,  in  eight  days  they  reached  the  mouth 
of  the  Alleghany,  where  the  junction  of  the  two 
streams  forms  the  Ohio,  and  where  Pittsburg  now 
stands.  He  then  followed  down  the  Ohio  River 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  accomplished  all 
the  purposes  of  his  mission,  and,  after  an  absence 
of  about  four  months,  returned  again  to  Williams- 
burg,  the  capital  of  Virginia,  to  make  his  report 
to  the  Governor. 

3.  The  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Virginia 
was  then  in  session  at  Williamsburg.  Washington 
entered  the  gallery.  The  Speaker  saw  him,  and 
immediately  rose  and  proposed  that  "  the  thanks 
of  the  House  be  given  to  Major  Washington,  who 
now  sits  in  the  gallery,  for  the  gallant  manner  in 
which  he  has  executed  the  important  trust  lately 
reposed  in  him  by  his  Excellency  the  Governor." 
Every  member  rose  and  saluted  Washington  with 
applause.  Overwhelmed  with  confusion  in  being 
thus  the  object  of  all  eyes,  he  endeavored  to  make 
some  acknowledgment  of  this  high  honor,  but  he 
was  quite  unable  to  utter  a  word.  The  Speaker 
came  happily  to  his  relief,  saying :  "  Sit  down,  Ma- 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON.  87 

jor  Washington ;  your  modesty  is  alone  equal  to 
your  merit." 

4.  The    Governor,    a   rash,    headstrong    man, 
much  to  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  colonists  gen 
erally,  promptly  decided  that  the  king's  territories 
were  invaded,  and  immediately  organized  a  force 
to  drive  away,  kill,  or  seize  as  prisoners,  all  per 
sons  not  the  subjects  of  the  king  who  should  at 
tempt  to  take  possession  of  the  lands  on  the  Ohio, 
or  any  of  its  tributaries.     Washington  was  now 
appointed  colonel,  and,  with  a  band  of  about  four 
hundred  men,  again  commenced  his  march  through 
the  vast  wilderness  to  drive  the  French  from  the 
Ohio.     But  the  French,  with  their  Indian  allies, 
were  on  the  alert.     The  peril  of  Washington  was 
great.     He  was  surrounded  with  snares.     Hostile 
bands  from  different  points,  it  was  reported  by 
the  Indian  scouts,  were  crowding  down  upon  him. 
Washington  was  then    but  twenty-two  years  of 
age.     He  had  never  heard  the  shrill  whistle  of  a 
bullet  thrown  in  anger. 

5.  One  dark  and  stormy  night,  as  floods  of  rain 
deluged  the  forest,  some  Indians  came  to  the  camp 
and  informed  Washington  that  a  detachment  of 
the  French  were  very  near,  and  were  marching  to 
take  him  by  surprise.     The  night  was  dark  even 
to  blackness.     The  raging  storm  howled  through 
the   tree-tops,    and   the    mountain   streams   were 


88  STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

swollen  into  roaring  torrents.  Immediately  Wash* 
ington  took  forty  men,  leaving  the  rest  to  guard 
the  camp,  and,  guided  by  the  Indians,  all  night 
clambered  over  the  rocks  and  fallen  trees  as  he 
groped  his  way  through  the  intricate  paths  of  the 
forest.  In  the  early  dawn  of  the  dark  and  dreary 
morning,  his  party  reached  an  encampment  of 
friendly  Indians  which  they  were  seeking.  With 
these  rude  allies  Washington  continued  his  ad 
vance  toward  the  position  occupied  by  the  unsus 
pected  French. 

6.  It  was  the  28th  of  May,  1754.     Suddenly 
the  forest  echoed  with  the  rattle  of  musketry  and 
the  war-whoop  of  the  savage.     The  conflict  was 
short.     Jumonville,  the  French   commander,  and 
ten  of  his  men,  almost  immediately  fell,  and  the 
rest  of  the  party,  twenty  -  two   in  number,  were 
taken   prisoners.      This  was  the  first  battle  that 
ushered  in  the  long,  cruel,  and  bloody  French  and 
Indian  War  of  seven  years. 

7.  Early  the  next  spring  (1755)  General  Brad- 
dock  landed  in  Virginia   with  two  regiments  of 
regular  troops  from  Great  Britain.     It  was  sup 
posed  that  such  a  force  would  sweep  all  opposition 
away.     With  such  fool-hardy  confidence  as  igno 
rance  gives,   Braddock  marched  boldly  into  the 
wilderness.     Colonel  Washington  was  induced  to 
accompany  General   Braddock  as  aide-de-camp. 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON.  89 

Washington  urged  caution,  but  in  vain.  They  ar 
rived  within  ten  miles  of  Fort  Duquesne,  not  hav 
ing  encountered  any  foe.  Braddock  was  without 
an  anxiety  or  a  doubt.  He  fancied  that  neither 
Frenchman  nor  Indian  would  dare  to  meet  him. 
Washington  was  conscious  of  their  peril,  and  begged 
to  lead  the  march  with  the  Virginia  volunteers,  to 
guard  against  an  ambush.  But  the  English  de 
spised  the  Americans,  and  concealed  not  their  pride 
and  contempt.  Washington  was  deeply  wounded 
in  his  feelings  by  this  treatment. 

8.  They  entered  a  wild  defile.  Lofty  trees 
extended  in  all  directions.  A  luxuriant  growth 
of  underbrush,  reaching  nearly  as  high  as  the 
men's  heads,  covered  the  ground.  Silence  and 
solitude  reigned  ;  not  a  leaf  moved ;  not  a  bird-cry 
was  heard.  Suddenly,  like  the  burst  of  thunder, 
came  the  crash  of  musketry,  and  a  tempest  of  lead 
swept  through  the  astonished  ranks.  Crash  fol 
lowed  crash  in  quick  succession — before,  behind, 
on  the  right,  on  the  left.  No  foe  was  to  be  seen. 
Yet  every  bullet  accomplished  its  work.  The 
ground  was  already  covered  with  the  dead.  Brad- 
dock  stood  his  ground  with  senseless,  bull-dog 
courage,  until  he  fell.  After  a  short  scene  of 
confusion  and  horror,  when  nearly  half  the  army 
were  gory  in  death,  the  remnant  broke  in  wild  dis 
order  and  fled.  The  ambush  was  entirely  success- 


90  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

ful.    Six  hundred  of  these  assailants  were  Indians. 
They  laughed  the  folly  of  Braddock  to  scorn. 

9.  This  was  just  what  Washington  expected. 
He  did  everything  which  skill  and  courage  could 
do  to  retrieve  the  disaster.    Two  horses  fell  under 
him  ;  four  bullets  passed  through  his  coat.    About 
eight  hundred  were  killed  or  wounded,  while  the 
invisible  foe  lost  not  more  than  forty.     Washing 
ton  stationed  the  Virginia  provincials,  each  man 
behind  a  tree,  according  to  the  necessities  of  forest 
warfare,  and  thus  checked  the  retreat,  and  saved 
the  army  from  total  destruction.     He  endeavored 
to  rally  the  British  regulars,  but  "  they  ran  away," 
he  says,  "  like  sheep  before  the  hounds."    The  dis 
astrous  battle  of  the  Monongahela  added  much  re 
nown  to  the  name  of  Colonel  Washington. 

10.  The  situation  of  Virginia  was  now  terrible. 
The  savages  had  lapped  their  tongues  in  blood. 
Their  fierce  natures  were  roused  by  the  terrible 
excitements  of  war.     The  whole  frontier,  extend 
ing  three  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  was  exposed  to 
their  ravages.     Horrible  beyond  all  imagination 
were  the  scenes  that  ensued.     Conflagration,  mur 
der,  and  torture  became  the  amusement  of  prowl 
ing  bands  of  savages.     It  became  a  matter  of  im 
perative  policy  to  detach  the  Indians  from  French 
influence,  and  to  curtail  the  French  occupation,  or 
altogether  crush  it  out.     For  three  years  Washing- 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON,  91 

ton  devoted  himself,  day  and  night,  to  this  humane 
yet  arduous  enterprise.  He  rapidly  acquired  fame 
and  influence.  His  advice  was  listened  to  and 
heeded.  By  a  bold  march,  in  the  stormy  month 
of  November,  1758,  Fort  Duquesne  was  wrested 
from  the  enemy,  and  the  French  power  upon  the 
Ohio  ceased  forever.  Not  long  after  this  the  Can- 
adas  surrendered  to  the  heroism  of  Wolfe,  and 
thus,  after  seven  years  of  awful  carnage  and  woe, 
the  colonies  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  peace. 

11.  Washington  returned  to  beautiful  Mount 
Vernon,  rich  in  the  gratitude  and  love  which  his 
heroism  and  self-sacrifice  so  abundantly  merited. 
He  was  now  twenty-six  years  of  age.  On  the  6th 
of  January,  1759,  he  married  Mrs.  Martha  Custis, 
a  lady  of  great  worth  and  beauty.  She  was  the 
mother  of  two  children  by  a  former  husband,  a 
son  of  six  years  and  a  daughter  of  four.  This 
union  added  to  Washington's  already  considerable 
estate  a  property  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
In  the  lovely  retreat  of  Mount  Vernon  he  enjoyed 
fifteen  years  of  such  happiness  as  is  seldom  expe 
rienced  on  earth.  Days  of  calm,  and  cloudless  skies, 
dawned  and  faded  away  upon  the  tranquil  lawn. 
Washington  was  frugal,  temperate,  and  methodi 
cal  in  the  highest  degree.  Every  hour  had  its  own 
duty.  He  retired  at  nine  o'clock  at  night,  whether 
he  had  company  or  not,  and  rose  at  four  in  the 


92 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


morning.  Though  strict  in  the  enforcement  of 
regular  habits,  he  was  kind  to  all  the  members  of 
his  household. 

12.  As  these 
peaceful  and 
happy  years 
glided  rapidly 
away,  a  tempest 
was  gathering. 
The  year  1775 
arrived.  Wash 
ington  was  for 
ty  -  three  years 


of  age.  The 
haughty  Brit 
ish  minis 
try,  denying 
to  Americans 
the  rights  of 
British  sub 
jects,  began 
systematically 

to  oppress  them.  The  Americans  remonstrated. 
The  British  ministry  spurned  their  remonstrances 
with  scorn,  and  sent  over  disciplined  armies  to  en- 


GEORGE   WASHINGTON.  x  93 

force  obedience.  The  Americans  were  too  feeble 
to  command  respect.  They  met  in  Congress,  raised 
an  army,  and  unanimously  chose  George  Washing 
ton  commander-in-chief.  A  more  perilous  office 
man  never  accepted.  Three  millions  of  people, 
without  resources,  without  military  supplies,  with 
out  forts,  without  ships,  boldly  took  up  arms  to  en 
counter  the  fleets  and  hosts  of  England,  who  held 
the  resources  of  the  world  in  her  lap.  It  was 
David  meeting  Goliath.  But  Washington  was  the 
man  for  the  occasion. 

13.  The  plains  of  Lexington  were  already  red 
with  blood,  and  the  conflict  of  Bunker's  Hill  sent 
ite  echoes  through  the  world.  To  a  friend  in  Eng 
land  Washington  wrote :  "  The  Americans  will 
fight  for  their  liberties  and  property.  Unhappy 
it  is,  though,  to  reflect  that  a  brother's  sword  has 
been  sheathed  in  a  brother's  breast,  and  that  the 
once  happy  and  peaceful  plains  of  America  are 
either  to  be  drenched  in  blood  or  to  be  inhabited 
by  slaves."  To  the  Congress  that  elected  him  he 
said :  "  I  beg  leave  to  assure  the  Congress  that,  as 
no  pecuniary  consideration  could  have  tempted 
me  to  accept  this  arduous  employment,  at  the  ex 
pense  of  my  domestic  ease  and  happiness,  I  do  not 
wish  to  make  any  profit  from  it.  I  will  keep  an 
exact  account  of  my  expenses.  Those  I  doubt  not 
they  will  discharge.  This  is  all  I  desire." 


94  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

1 4.  Early  in  July  Washington  arrived  at  Cam 
bridge,  to  take  command  of  the  army  besieging 
Boston.  The  ceremony  of  assuming  the  position 
of  his  office  took  place  under  the  shadow  of  a 
majestic  elm-tree,  which  stood  for  a  hundred  years, 
revered  and  immortalized  by  the  deed  which  that 
day  witnessed.  He  found  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston 
about  fifteen  thousand  American  troops,  almost 
totally  destitute  of  all  the  necessary  materials  of 
war.  With  firmness,  judgment,  and  energy  which 
have  never  been  surpassed,  struggling  against  em 
barrassments  and  disappointments,  he  availed  him 
self  of  every  resource  within  his  reach. 

Ablott. 


XVIII. 

PATRICK    HENRY. 

1.  AT  Hanover  Court-House,  nineteen  miles 
from  Richmond,  Virginia,  "  the  old  tavern  and  the 
court-house  are  objects  of  much  interest,  from  the 
circumstance  that  in  the  former  Patrick  Henry 
was  a  temporary  bar-tender,  and  in  the  latter  he 
made  those  first  efforts  at  oratory  which  burst 
forth  like  meteors  from  the  gloom  of  his  obscuri 
ty.  He  had  passed  his  youthful  days  in  apparent 


PATRICK  HENRY. 


95 


idleness,  and,  lacking  business  tact  and  energy,  he 
failed  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  which  he  was  en 
gaged.  He  became  bankrupt,  and  no  one  was  will 
ing  to  aid  him.  He  married  at  eighteen,  and  yet, 
in  the  twenty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  he  had  done 
little  toward  supporting  a  wife." 

2.  As  a  last  resort,  he  studied  law.  He  applied 
himself  diligently  for  six  weeks,  when  he  obtained 
a  license,  but  for  nearly  three  years  he  was  "  brief 
less."  At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  he  was  em 
ployed  in  the  celebrated  parsons'  case,  and  in  Han 
over  Court-House,  on  that  occasion,  his  genius  was 
first  developed.  The  case  was  a  controversy  be 
tween  the  clergy  and  the  Leg 
islature  of  the  State  relating 
to  the  pay  claimed  by  the 
former.  A  decision  of  the 
court  in  favor  of  the  clergy 
had  left  nothing  undetermined 
but  the  amount  of  damages. 
Young  Henry  took  part 
against  the  clergy,  and  in  his 
plea  his  wonderful  oratory 
beamed  out,  for  the  first  time, 
in  great  splendor.  Wirt  has 
vividly  described  the  scene :  "  The  array  before 
Mr.  Henry's  eyes  was  now  most  fearful.  On  the 
bench  sat  more  than  twenty  clergymen,  the  most 
7 


96  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

learned  men  in  the  colony,  and  the  most  capable. 
The  court-house  was  crowded  with  an  overwhelm 
ing  multitude,  and  surrounded  with  an  immense 
and  anxious  throng,  who,  not  finding  room  to 
enter,  were  endeavoring  to  listen  without  in  the 
deepest  attention. 

3.  u  But  there  was  something  still  more  embar 
rassing  than  all  this ;  for  in  the  chair  of  the  pre 
siding  magistrate  sat  no  other  person  than  his  own 
father.    Mr.  Lyon  opened  the  cause,  and  concluded 
with  a  highly  wrought  eulogium  on  the  benevo 
lence  of  the  clergy.     And  now  came  on  the  first 
trial  of  Patrick  Henry's  strength.     No  one  had 
ever  heard  him  speak  before,  and  curiosity  was  on 
tip-toe.     He  rose  very  awkwardly,   and  faltered 
much   in   his   opening.     The   people   hung   their 
heads.     The  clergy  were  observed  to  exchange  sly 
looks  with  each  other,  and  his  father  is  described 
as  having  almost   sunk  with  confusion  from  his 
seat.     But  these  feelings  were  of  short  duration, 
and  soon  gave  place  to  others  of  a  very  different 
character. 

4.  "  His  attitude  by  degrees  became  erect  and 
lofty.     The  spirit  of  his  genius  awakened  all  his 
features.    His  countenance  shone  with  a  nobleness 
which  it  had  never  before  exhibited.     There  was 
a  lightning  in  his  eye  which  seemed  to  rivet  the 
spectator.     His  action  became  bold,  graceful,  and 


PATRICK  HENRY.  97 

commanding,  and  in  the  tones  of  his  voice  there 
was  a  peculiar  charm,  a  magic,  of  which  no  one 
can  give  an  adequate  description.  In  the  language 
of  those  who  heard  him  on  this  occasion,  l  he  made 
their  blood  run  cold  and  their  hair  rise  on  end.' 
They  say  that  the  people  whose  countenances  had 
fallen  as  he  rose  had  heard  but  a  few  sentences 
before  they  began  to  look  up,  then  to  look  at  each 
other  with  surprise,  as  if  doubting  the  evidence  of 
their  senses.  Then,  attracted  by  some  strong  gest 
ure,  or  fascinated  by  the  spell  of  his  eye,  the 
charm  of  his  emphasis,  and  the  commanding  ex 
pression  of  his  countenance,  they  could  look  away 
no  more. 

5.  "In  less  than  twenty  minutes  they  might 
be  seen  in  every  part  of  the  house,  on  every  bench, 
in  every  window,  stooping   forward    from   their 
stands,  in  death-like  silence,  as  if  to  catch  the  last 
strain   of  some  heavenly  visitant.     The  mocking 
of  the  clergy  was  soon  turned  into  alarm,  and,  at 
one  burst  of  his  rapid  and  overwhelming  invective, 
they  fled  from  the  bench  in  terror.     As  for  his 
father,  tears  of  delight  streamed  down  his  cheeks 
without  the  power  or  inclination  to  repress  them. 

6.  "  The  jury  had  scarcely  left  the  bar  when 
they  returned  a  verdict  of  one  penny  damages.    A 
motion  for  a  new  trial  was  made,  but  the  court 
overruled  the  motion  by  a  unanimous  vote.     The 


98  STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

people,  who  had  with  difficulty  kept  their  hands 
off  their  champion  from  the  moment  of  the  closing 
of  his  harangue,  no  sooner  saw  the  fate  of  the 
cause  finally  sealed,  than  they  seized  him  at  the 
bar,  and,  in  spite  of  his  own  exertions  and  the 
continued  cry  of  '  Order ! '  from  the  sheriffs  and 
the  court,  they  bore  him  out  of  the  court-house, 
and,  raising  him  on  their  shoulders,  carried  him 
about  the  yard  in  a  kind  of  electioneering  tri 
umph." 


XIX. 
ISRAEL    PUTNAM. 

1.  ISEAEL  PUTNAM,  one  of  the  bravest  officers 
of  the  old  French  and  Revolutionary  Wars,  was 
born  in  Salem  village,  on  Massachusetts  Bay,  Janu 
ary  7,  1718.  From  earliest  boyhood  he  was  re 
markable  for  his  personal  courage  and  as  a  lover 
of  generous  deeds.  Like  Nelson,  he  might  have 
asked  :  "  Fear !  What  is  fear  ?  I  never  saw  it ! " 
His  frankness  was  as  natural  as  it  was  free.  He 
despised  concealment  and  hated  deception.  His 
courage  was  often  better  than  his  judgment.  On 
his  first  visit  to  Boston,  while  yet  a  small  boy,  he 
was  jeered  in  the  streets  by  a  lad  twice  his  age 


ISRAP:L  PUTNAM. 


99 


and  size,  because  of  the  coarse  quality  and  rustic 
fashion  of  his  clothes.  Israel's  indignation  was 
kindled  in  a  moment.  He  challenged  his  perse 
cutor,  and,  in  the  presence  of  a  cheering  crowd, 
the  chubby  little  "  pumpkin "  from  the  fields 
whipped  the  big  boy  to  his  heart's  content. 

2.  Putnam,  of  whose  personal  courage  and 
bravery  many  other  stories  have  been  told,  entered 
upon  his  career  as  a  soldier 
at  the  age  of  thirty-seven. 
The  French  War,  undertak 
en  to  repel  the  invasion  of 
the  French  upon  the  terri 
tory  of  the  colonists,  did 
much  to  unite  in  one  spirit 
the  American  colonists,  and 
to  cultivate  those  soldierly 
qualities  that  prepared  them 
for  the  greater  straggle  of 
the  War  of  Independence. 
"The  spring  buds  soon  opened  into  leaves  and 
blossoms,  and  the  colonial  armies  began  to  gather, 
preparatory  to  the  arrival  of  General  Abercrombie, 
who,  with  the  young  Lord  Howe,  led  an  army  of 
seven  thousand  regulars,  nine  thousand  provincials, 
and  a  heavy  train  of  artillery,  against  Ticonderoga 
in  July,  1758."  Just  before  leaving  Fort  Edward, 
the  commanding  general  sent  Putnam,  with  sixty 


100  STORIES  OF  OUR  GO  UN  TRY. 

picked  men,  to  range  in  the  vicinity  of  South  Bay, 
near  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain. 

3.  At  about  ten  o'clock  one  evening,  while  the 
moon  was  bathing  everything  in  its  full  light,  a 
fleet  of  canoes,  filled  with  French  and  Indians,  ap 
proached.     Putnam  ordered  perfect  silence  until 
he  should  give  a  signal  to  fire.    Just  as  the  enemy 
were  in  front  of  the  ranges,  a  soldier  hit  his  musket 
against  a  stone.     The  people  in  the  canoes  were 
startled,  and  the  little  vessels  huddled  together  as 
if  in  consultation.     The  'moment  was  favorable  for 
the  provincials,  and  Putnam  and  his  men  poured 
a  deadly  volley  upon  the  frightened  foe,  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  fact  that  they  were  provoking  the 
ire  of  the  famous  French  Molang  and  five  hundred 
Canadians  and  Indians. 

4.  Molang  soon  discovered  by  the  firing  that 
the  provincials  were  few,  and,  landing  a  part  of 
his  force,  attempted  to  surround  them.     Putnam 
was  vigilant,  perceived  his  danger,  and  retreated 
in  time  to  escape  the  snare.     Just  at  dawn,  while 
on  a  rapid  march,  his  party  was  fired  upon  by 
mistake  by  provincial  scouts,  but  with  so  little 
effect  that  Putnam  declared  to  their  leader  that 
they  all  deserved  to  be  hanged  for  not  killing  more 
when  they  had  so  fair  a  shot. 

5.  Abercrombie  collected  his  army  at  the  head 
of  Lake  George.     The  whole  country  from  there 


ISRAEL   PUTNAM.  101 

to  Ticonderoga  was  covered  with,  a  dense  forest. 
The  wilderness  was  swarming  with  hostile  Indi 
ans.  The  English  and  provincials  pushed  boldly 
forward,  led  by  Lord  Howe,  who  was  accompanied 
by  Major  Putnam.  Misled  by  incompetent  guides, 
they  had  just  passed  the  falls,  where  the  village  of 
Ticonderoga  now  stands,  when  a  French  picket 
five  hundred  strong  fell  upon  the  left  of  Aber- 
crombie's  force.  "  Putnam,  what  means  that  fir- 
ing  ? "  asked  Lord  Howe.  "  With  your  lordship's 
leave,"  he  replied,  "  I  will  see."  "  And  I  will  ac 
company  you,"  said  the  nobleman. 

6.  Putnam  tried  to  dissuade  him.     "  If  I  am 
killed,  my  lord,"  he  said,  "  the  loss  of  my  life  will 
be  of  little  consequence ;  but  the  preservation  of 
yours   is   of    infinite   importance   to   this   army." 
Howe  replied :  "  Putnam,  your  life  is  as  dear  to  you 
as  mine  is  to  me ;  I  am  determined  to  go.     Lead 
on  ! "     At  the  head  of  one  hundred  men  Putnam 
darted  forward,  and  they  soon  met  the  enemy's 
advance.     A  bloody  encounter  ensued,  and  Lord 
Howe  was  killed  at  the  first  fire.     Putnam's  party 
were  finally  successful,  and  the  army  pressed  for 
ward  toward  the  fortress.     They  were  met  at  the 
outworks  with    terrible   opposition,   and,  after  a 
bloody  conflict  of  four  hours,  Abercrombie  fell 
back  to  Lake  George. 

7.  A  few  days  after  his  return  to  Fort  Edward, 


102  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

Major  Putnam  visited  Fort  Miller,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Hudson.  One  pleasant  afternoon  he 
crossed  over  in  a  bateau  to  the  eastern  shore, 
where  he  was  surprised  by  a  large  number  of 
Indians,  who  suddenly  appeared,  some  on  land 
rushing  to  the  bank,  and  others  sweeping  down 
the  stream  in  their  canoes.  What  should  he 
do?  He  might  stay  and  be  sacrificed,  or  at 
tempt  to  cross  the  river  and  be  shot,  or  go  down 
the  roaring  rapids  a  few  rods  below  him.  There 
was  no  time  for  deliberation.  He  chose  the 
last  course ;  and,  to  the  great  amazement  of 
the  savages,  who  dared  not  follow  where  a 
canoe  had  never  yet  ventured,  his  bateau  shot 
down  the  foaming  channels  among  the  dangerous 
rocks,  and  he  reached  the  smooth  waters  below 
in  safety  and  escaped.  The  Indians  after  this 
regarded  him  as  a  special  favorite  of  the  Great 
Spirit, 

8.  Early  in  August  Putnam  and  Eogers  took 
post  at  South  Bay,  with  five  hundred  men,  to 
watch  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  It  was  soon 
perceived  that  Molang,  with  a  large  body  of 
French  and  Indians,  was  stealthily  traversing  the 
forest  to  get  in  the  rear  of  the  provincials.  The 
latter  retreated  toward  Fort  Edward.  On  the 
margin  of  Clear  River,  a  little  distance  from  Fort 
Ann,  they  fell  into  an  Indian  ambuscade.  Put- 


ISRAEL  PUTNAM.  103 

nam's  division  was  a  little  in  advance  of  the  others, 
and  received  the  first  and  most  deadly  onslaught 
of  the  savages.  The  fight  soon  became  general 
and  scattered.  Man  to  man  and  hand  to  hand 
they  fought,  with  terrible  desperation.  Putnam 
had  laid  several  Indians  on  the  forest  -  leaves, 
when,  as  he  presented  his  fusee  to  the  breast  of 
a  stalwart  savage,  it  missed  fire. 

9.  The  Indian  instantly  sprang  forward,  seized 
the  major,  bound  him  tightly  to  a  tree,  and  then 
resumed  the  conflict.     Putnam's  situation  soon  be 
came  extremely  dangerous,  for,  as  the  combatants 
changed  ground,  he  was  placed  between  the  fire 
of  the  two  parties.     Many  bullets  struck  the  tree  ; 
several  went  through  his  garments,  but  his  person 
remained  unhurt.     For  an  hour  the  fight  raged 
furiously  around  him,  and    then  a  young  savage 
amused  himself  by  throwing  his  tomahawk  into 
the  tree   to  which   Putnam  was  tied,   sometimes 
within  an  inch  of  the  prisoner's  head. 

10.  The  French  and  Indians  were  finally  re 
pulsed,  and  on  their  return  toward  Lake  Cham- 
plain  they  took  Major  Putnam  with  them.     He 
was  continually  exposed  to  insults  and  cruelties, 
and  his  savage  captors  prepared  to  torture  him  to 
death  in  the  depths  of  the  forest.     They  tied  him 
to  a  tree,  piled  fagots  about  him,  commenced  their 
wild  songs  and  dances,  and  kindled  the  fatal  fire. 


104  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

Just  then  a  thunder-peal  burst  over  the  forest,  and 
a  sudden  shower  put  out  the  flames.  For  a  mo 
ment  the  savages  stood  still  in  amazement.  But 
soon  the  pyre  again  smoked  and  blazed.  Hope 
died  in  the  bosom  of  the  hero  as  the  fiery  circle 
grew  hotter ;  when  suddenly  a  French  officer 
dashed  through  the  row  of  savages,  hurled  them 
right  and  left,  scattered  the  blazing  wood,  and, 
cutting  the  thongs  which  bound  Putnam  to  the 
tree,  saved  him  from  a  horrible  death.  That  de 
liverer  was  Molang.  A  tender-hearted  Indian  had 
informed  him  of  the  fray  in  the  wilderness. 

11.  Molang  was  a   brave  and  generous  man, 
and  admired  the  character  of  Putnam.     He  has 
tened  to  the  rescue  of  a  brave  soldier,  and  severely 
rebuked  the  Indians  for  their  cruelty.     Under  his 
protection   the  captive  hero  was  sent  to  Ticon- 
deroga,  and  then  escorted  to  Montreal.     He  was 
in  a  miserable  plight  on  his  arrival.   He  had  neither 
coat,  vest,  nor  stockings  ;  his  remaining  garments 
were  tattered,  his  hair  was  matted  with  leaves  and 
blood,  and  his  person  was  disfigured  by  wounds. 
By  the  influence  of  Colonel  Schuyler,  he  was  after^ 
ward  exchanged,  and  permitted  to  return  to  his 
family. 

12.  The  spring  of  1775  was  exceedingly  mild, 
and  long  before  the  close  of  March  daffodils  peeped 
from  the  brown  earth,  and  bluebirds  were  singing 


ISRAEL  PUTNAM.  105 

among  the  budding  branches.  Early  in  April  the 
New  England  farmers  were  turning  the  furrows  ; 
and,  on  the  memorable  19th,  Putnam  was  prepar 
ing  his  fields  for  oats  and  Indian  corn.  On  that 
morning  the  first  thunder-peal  of  the  tempest  of 
the  Revolution,  awakened  at  Lexington  and  Con 
cord,  rolled  over  New  England,  and  before  noon 
the  next  day  it  fell  upon  the  ear  of  the  veteran 
while  he  was  plowing  in  his  field.  The  intelli 
gence  was  brought  by  a  swift  messenger,  who 
hastened  onward  from  farm  to  farm,  to  spread  the 
"  Lexington  alarm,"  and  arouse  the  minute-men. 

13.  The  brave  colonel  of  the  old  war  stopped 
not  a  moment  to  consider.     He  unyoked  his  cat 
tle  in  the  furrow,  and  said  to  the  boy  who  had 
been  driving  them,  "  Run,  run  to  the  house  for  my 
coat ! "     He  then  hurried  to  his  stable,  saddled  a 
fleet  horse,  and,  without  stopping  to  change  his 
clothes,  he  mounted  the  horse  and  hastened  toward 
Cambridge.     He  arrived  there  late  at  night,  and 
the  next  morning  he  was  present  at  a  second  coun 
cil  of  war,  at  which  General  Artemas  Ward  pre 
sided,  when  a  plan  for  a  campaign  was  arranged. 

14.  During  the  winter  of  1779  General  Put 
nam  performed  a  daring  feat,  which  has  ever  been 
a  popular  theme  for  the  story-teller  and  the  poet. 
He  was  at  the  house  of  a  friend  at  Horseneck, 
now  West  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  on  a  visit  to 


106 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


ISRAEL  PUTNAM.  107 

that  outpost,  and  while  standing  before  a  looking- 
glass  early  in  the  morning  shaving  himself,  he  saw 
the  reflection  of  a  body  of  "  red-coats  "  marching 
up  the  road  from  the  westward.  He  dropped  his 
razor,  buckled  on  his  sword,  and,  half  shaved, 
mounted  his  horse  and  hastened  to  prepare  his 
handful  of  men  to  oppose  the  approaching  enemy. 
They  were  almost  fifteen  hundred  strong.  Putnam 
confronted  them  with  his  one  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  but,  after  the  first  fire,  perceiving  their  over 
whelming  numbers,  ordered  a  retreat. 

15.  It  became  a  rout,  and  each  sought  safety 
in  his  own  way  in  the  adjacent  swamps.  The  gen 
eral  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  sped  toward  Stam 
ford,  closely  pursued  by  the  British  dragoons.  He 
came  to  a  steep  declivity,  on  the  brow  of  which 
the  road  turned  northward,  and  passed  in  a  broad 
sweep  around  the  hill.  Putnam  saw  that  his  pur 
suers  were  gaming  on  him,  and,  with  the  daring  of 
desperation,  he  left  the  road,  wheeled  his  horse 
while  on  full  gallop  down  the  rocky  height,  making 
a  zigzag  course  to  the  bottom,  near  where  some 
stone  steps  had  been  laid  up  to  the  church  on  the 
height,  gained  the  road,  and  escaped.  The  drag 
oons  dared  not  follow  his  perilous  track,  but  sent 
a  volley  of  bullets  after  him,  without  effect.  The 
declivity  down  which  the  old  soldier  rushed  is  still 
known  as  Putnam's  Hill.  Allott. 


108  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

XX. 

THE    YOUTH    OF    FRANKLIN. 

1.  IN  the  history  of  our  country  no  name  is 
more  honored  and  none  deserves  more  honor  than 
that  of  Benjamin  Franklin.     Wise  and  sagacious, 
he  performed  service  for  his  country  that  was  in 
dispensable   in   the   hour   of   her    greatest   need. 
His  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  figures  in  the 
First    Continental    Congress,  and  he  was   one  of 
the  five  placed  upon  the  committee  to  draft  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.     Later,  he  was  the 
diplomat  that  secured  the    assistance  of    France, 
and  obtained  for  the  United  States  a  recognition 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth.     At  the  close  of 
the  war,  the  people   instinctively  turned  to  him 
for  advice  in  regard  to  the  terms  of  union  between 
the  States,  and  during  the  stormy  debates  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  his  voice  was  for  peace 
and  conciliation ;  and  when  insurmountable  diffi 
culties  seemed  to  arise,  he  always  could  suggest 
the  way  out.     When  he  died,  at  a  ripe  old  age,  no 
name  on  earth  was  more  honored  or  revered. 

2.  The  greatness  of  Franklin  was  not  an  acci 
dent,  but  was  achieved  by  a  virtuous,  industrious 
life  devoted  to  study  and  to  the  general  welfare 
of  humanity.     He  inherited  from  his  parents  good 


THE   YOUTH  OF  FRANKLIN. 


109 


health  and  a  genial  disposition,  but  not  wealth. 
The  household  into  which  he  was  born  was  in 
that  happy  condition  where 
neither  riches  nor  poverty 
were  burdensome.  Each 
day  brought  its  own  neces 
sity  of  labor,  but  the  re 
wards  of  the  labor  were 
sufficient  for  the  day's  ne 
cessities,  and  so  there  was 
never  pinching  want. 

3.  Franklin's      father 
was  a  tallow-chandler,  and 
his  early  years  were  spent 

chiefly  in  the  shop,  where  he  learned  to  dip  can 
dles  and  perform  such  other  work  as  might  de 
volve  upon  him.  But,  after  he  learned  to  read,  he 
always  carried  a  book  with  him,  and,  while  strict 
ly  attending  to  his  mechanical  work,  his  thoughts 
were  often  far  away  from  the  dingy  shop  and  the 
uninteresting  work.  At  an  early  age,  and  from 
his  own  earnest  solicitation,  he  was  transferred 
from  the  chandler's  shop  to  a  printing-office,  under 
the  management  of  his  elder  brother. 

4.  Young    Benjamin    was    mainly    employed, 
while  in  his  brother's  office,  in  very  humble  duties ; 
but   he  did  not  by  any  means  confine  himself  to 
the  menial   services  which  were  required  of  him 


110  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

as  the  youngest  apprentice.  In  fact,  he  actually 
commenced  his  career  as  an  author  while  in  this 
subordinate  position.  It  seems  that  several  gen 
tlemen  of  Boston,  friends  of  his  brother,  iised  to 
write  occasional  articles  for  a  newspaper  which  he 
printed  ;  and  they  would  sometimes  meet  at  the 
office  to  discuss  the  subjects  of  their  articles,  and 
the  effects  that  they  produced. 

5.  Benjamin   determined  to   try   his  hand  at 
this  work.     He  accordingly  wrote  an  article  for 
the  paper,  and,  after  copying  it  carefully  in  dis 
guised  writing,  he  put  it  late  one  night  under  the 
door.     His  brother  found  it  there  in  the  morning, 
and  on  reading  it  was  much  pleased  with  it.     He 
read  it  to  his  friends  when  they  came  in,  Benjamin 
being  at  work  all  the  time  near  by,  at  his  printing- 
case,  and  enjoying  very  highly  the  remarks  and 
comments  which  were  made.     He  was  particularly 
amused  at  the  guesses  that  they  offered  in  respect 
to  the  author,  and  his  vanity  was  gratified  at  find 
ing  that  the  persons  they  named  were  all  gentle 
men  of  high  character  for  ingenuity  and  learning. 

6.  The  young  author  was  so  much  encouraged 
by  this  attempt  that  he  afterward  sent  in  several 
other   articles  in  the  same  way.     At  length  he 
made  it  known  that  he   was  the  author  of   the 
articles.     All  were  much  surprised,  and  in  conse 
quence  of  this  discovery  he  was  regarded  with 


THE   YOUTH  OF  FRANKLIN.  .     HI 

much  consideration  by  his  brother's  friends,  but  his 
brother  did  not  appear  to  be  much  pleased.  Ben 
jamin  was  employed  while  in  his  brother's  office, 
sometimes  in  setting  types,  then  in  working  off 
the  sheets  at  the  press,  and  finally  in  carrying  the 
papers  around  the  town  to  deliver  them  to  sub 
scribers.  This  gave  him  an  opportunity  to  ac 
quire  experience  and  information. 

7.  In  the  efforts  which  young  Franklin  made 
to  improve  his  mind,  he  did  not  devote  his  time 
to  mere  reading,  but  applied  himself  vigorously  to 
study.     He  was  deficient,  he  thought,  in  a  knowl 
edge  of  figures,  and  so  he  procured  an  arithmetic, 
of  his  own  accord,  and  went  through  it  himself 
with  very  little  or  no  assistance.     Notwithstand 
ing  these  advantages,  however,  Benjamin  did  not 
lead  a  veiy  happy  life.     He  found  his  brother  a 
passionate  man,  and  he  was  often  used  very  rough 
ly  by  him. 

8.  Finally,  after  the  lapse  of  four  or  five  years, 
young  Benjamin  determined  to  seek  his  fortunes 
in  New  York.     The  vessel  upon  which  he  took 
passage  soon  sailed,  and  in  three  days  she  reached 
New   York,    and   Benjamin    landed    safely.      He 
found  himself,  however,  in  a  very  forlorn  condi 
tion.     He  had  no  letters  of  introduction,  and.  very 
little  money.     He  applied  at  a  printing-office  for 
employment,    but   was    told    by   the   proprietor, 


112  STORIKS  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

whose  name  was  Bradford,  that  he  had  men 
enough,  but  that  he  had  a  son  in  Philadelphia 
who  had  lately  lost  one  of  his  principal  hands. 
So  our  young  hero  determined  to  go  to  that  city. 

9.  On  his  journey  he  narrowly  escaped  ship 
wreck,  but  at  length  reached  Amboy  in  safety, 
and  thence  he  undertook  to  travel  on  foot  through 
New  Jersey  to  Burlington,  a  distance  of  fifty  miles. 
It  rained  all  that  day,  and  the  unhappy  adventurer 
heartily  repented  of  having  ever  left  home.     At 
length,  after   two   days   of   weary   traveling,    he 
reached  Burlington  in  time  to  find  that  the  regu 
lar  packet  on  the  Delaware  for  Philadelphia  had 
sailed.     In  his  perplexity  he  went  to  the  house  of 
a  woman  from  whom  he  had  bought  some  ginger 
bread  when  he  first  came  into  town.     She  offered 
to  care  for  him  until  the  next  packet  should  sail. 

10.  Our  hero  happened  to  be  walking  along 
the  shore  of  the  river  when  a  small  vessel  came  by 
on  its  way  to  Philadelphia,  on  which  he  took  pas 
sage,  and,  as  there  was  no  wind,  he  assisted  the 
men  in  rowing.     AVhen  they  arrived  at  the  city 
Franklin  paid  the  boatman  a  shilling  for  his  pas 
sage.     He  then  counted  up  his  money,  and  found 
that  it  amounted  to  just  one  dollar. 

11.  The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  go  to  a  baker's 
to  buy  something  to  eat.     He  asked  for  three 
pence  worth  of  bread.     The  baker  gave  him  three 


THE   YOUTH  OF  FRANKLIN. 


113 


good-sized    rolls    for   that   money.     His    pockets 
were  full  of  clothes  and  other  things,  and  so  he 


walked  off  up  the 
street  holding  one  of  his 
rolls  under  each  arm  and 
eating  the  third.  It  is  a  singular  circumstance 
that,  while  he  was  walking  through  the  streets 
in  this  way,  he  passed  by  the  house  where  the 
young  woman  resided  who  was  destined  to  become 
his  wife,  and  that  she  actually  saw  him  as  he 


114  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

passed,  and  took  particular  notice  of  the  ridiculous 
appearance  he  made, 

12.  It   happened   that,  among  the  passengers 
that  had  come  down  the  river  on  board  the  vessel, 
there  was  a  poor  woman,  who  was  traveling  with 
her  child,   a  boy  of   six  or  eight   years  of   age. 
When  Franklin  came  down  to  the  wharf  he  found 
this  woman   sitting   there  with   her   child,  both 
looking  quite  weary  and  forlorn  ;  and  as  he  had 
already  satisfied  his  hunger  with  eating  one  of  the 
rolls,  he  gave  the  other  two  to  them. 

13.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1723  that 
Franklin  came  thus  to  Philadelphia.     During  the 
winter  he  worked  industriously  at  his  trade,  and 
spent  his  leisure  time  in  reading  and  study.     He 
laid   up   the  money  that   he   earned,  instead   of 
squandering  it,  as  young  men  often  do,  in  foolish 
indulgences.      He  formed  many  useful  acquaint 
ances  among  the  industrious  and  steady  young 
men  in  the  town.     He  thus  lived  a  contented  life, 
and   forgot   Boston,   as   he  said,   as  much  as  he 
could. 


JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  115 

XXI. 

JOHN    PAUL   JONES. 

1.  THE  firing  of  the  cannon  at  Lexington  and 
Bunker  Hill,  wMch  brought  the  oppressed  colo 
nists  the  unwelcome  fact  of  desolating  war,  was 
also  a  signal  to  bad  men  to  use  the  opportunity  of 
war  to  carry  out  their  worst  purposes.    These  men 
fitted  out  vessels  called  privateers  with  which  they 
annoyed   the   settlements    along   the   coasts,   and 
plundered  and  robbed  defenseless  people.     They 
also  sailed  upon  the  high  seas,  and  seized  many 
a  ship    laden    with   merchants'  goods  bound  for 
American  ports.     As  a  defense  against  these  dep 
redations,  Congress  found  it  necessary,  in  1775,  to 
organize  a  navy.     Accordingly,  an  order  was  is 
sued  to  construct  and  equip  six  vessels  for  cruis 
ing  off  the  coasts  of  the  Eastern  colonies. 

2.  Among   the   commanders  commissioned  at 
the  same  time  was  John  Paul  Jones,  a  little  wiry 
Scotchman,  not  more  than  twenty  years  of  age. 
He  was  slight  in  physical  stature,  with  a  thought 
ful  expression,  and  dark,  piercing  eyes.     All  the 
greatness  of  a  true  hero  slumbered  in  his  brain, 
his  heart,  and  his  sinews  ;  and  it  only  needed  the 
electric  spark  of  opportunity  to  awaken  it  to  full 
development.    That  spark  was  not  long  withheld  ; 


116 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


and  when  the  War  for  Independence  had  closed, 
he  had  fought  twenty-three  battles  on  the  sea; 
made  descents  upon  Great  Britain  or  her  colonies ; 
snatched  from  her  navy,  by  conquest,  four  large 
ships;  compelled  her  to  fortify  her  home  ports, 
and  to  desist  from  cruel  burnings  in  America,  and 
from  torturing  American  seamen  in  prisons  and  on 
prison-ships. 

3.  Among    his    many    engagements    and   tri 
umphs  at  sea,  none,  perhaps,  is  more  interesting 

and  exciting  than  that 
which  occurred  near 
Leith,  on  the  coast  of 
Scotland,  in  1778. 
Here  he  encountered  a 
merchant-fleet  from  the 
Baltic,  convoyed  by  the 
Serapis,  mounting  forty 
guns,  and  the  Countess 
of  Scarborough,  of  twen 
ty  -  four  guns.  The 
Scotch  people  knew 
Jones,  and  his  approach 
filled  them  with  terror. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  16th  of  September, 
his  little  squadron  of  four  vessels  was  distinctly 
seen  from  Edinburgh  Castle. 

4.  The  people  believed  that  he  was  coming  to 


JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  117 

plunder  and  destroy ;  and,  at  their  earnest  solicita 
tion,  the  minister  of  the  town,  an  eccentric,  and 
not  always  a  very  reverential  man,  led  his  flock  to 
the  beach,  and,  kneeling  down,  prayed  for  deliver 
ance  :  "  Now,  deer  Laird,"  he  said,  "  dinna  ye 
think  it  a  shame  for  ye  to  send  this  rude  piret  to 
rob  our  folk  o'  Kirkcaldy,  for  ye  ken  they're  poor 
enow  already,  and  hae  naithing  to  spare  ? "  While 
the  minister  was  praying,  the  white  caps  began  to 
dot  the  Frith.  A  heavy  gale  swept  over  the 
waters,  and  Jones  was  compelled  to  put  to  sea. 
The  good  people  of  Kirkcaldy  always  regarded 
that  timely  gale  as  an  answer  to  the  prayer  of 
Mr.  Shirra, 

5.  But  the  providence  that  protected  the  peo 
ple  of  Leith  and  the  neighborhood  did  not  shield 
the  convoy  of  the  Baltic  fleet  from  Jones's  wrath 
less  than  a  week  afterward.     His  squadron  now 
consisted  of  his  own  vessel,  the  Bon  Homme  Rich- 
ard,  the  Pallas,  the  Vengeance,  and  the  Alliance, 
which  was  commanded  by  Landais,  who  was  dis 
posed  to  be  disobedient.    Jones  pressed  sail  on  the 
Eichard  and  made  chase,  followed  by  the  Pallas 
and  Vengeance.     Slowly  the  Richard  and  Serapis 
approached  each  other.     Up  went  the  red  ensign 
of  the  British  navy,  and  was  nailed  to  the  flag 
staff  of  the  Serapis. 

6.  Sluggishly   in   the   gentle  breeze  fluttered 


U8  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

the  Stars  and  Stripes  over  the  Richard,*  as  she 
rounded  to,  her  antagonist  within  pistol-shot  dis 
tance.  The  Serapis  displayed  two  complete  bat 
teries,  and  a  \vell-armed  spar-deck,  all  lighted  and 
cleared  for  action.  The  Richard  displayed  her 
heavy  guns  at  the  same  time,  when  the  English 
commander  hailed,  "  What  ship  is  that  ? "  Jones 
hurled  an  eighteen-pound  shot  in  reply,  that  went 
crashing  through  a  port  of  the  Serapis  and  splin 
tered  a  gun-carriage.  The  tempest-cloud  was  now 
riven,  and  the  lightning  and  thunder  of  two  heavy 
broadsides  flashed  and  boomed  over  the  waters. 
Thus  began  one  of  the  most  terrible  sea-fights  re 
corded  in  history. 

7.  The  Richard  had  a  gun-room  battery  on 
her  lower  deck  which  had  served  faithfully  for 
thirty  years.  At  the  first  discharge,  two  of  the 
guns  were  burst  killing  almost  every  man  in  the 
gun-room.  The  firing  was  incessant,  and  each 
ship  tried  to  gain  an  advantage  over  the  other. 
Their  spars  and  rigging  became  entangled.  The 
great  guns  of  the  combatants  were  now  almost 
useless,  and  Jones  at  the  head  of  his  Amer 
icans  attempted  to  board  the  enemy.  After  a 
sharp  and  close  contest  he  was  repulsed,  and 
Captain  Pearson  of  the  Serapis,  who  could 
not  see  the  American  flag  in  the  midst  of  the 
smoke,  cried  out,  a  Has  your  ship  struck  ? " 


JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  119 

Jones  instantly  replied,  "  I  have  not  yet  begun  to 
fight!" 

8.  It  was  now  half-past  eight  in  the  evening, 
and  the  conflict  had  raged  for  an  hour.     It  grew 
more  furious,  and  from  deck  to  deck  of  the  en 
tangled  vessels  the  combatants  rushed  madly,  fight 
ing  like  demons.     The  Richard  and  her  crew  suf 
fered  terribly,  yet  they  fought  on.     She  had  been 
pierced   by    several    eighteen-pound   balls   below 
water,  and  leaked  badly. 

9.  A  new  enemy  now  appeared.     When  the 
Richard  gave  chase  to  the  Serapis,  Landais  placed 
the  Alliance  at  a  safe  distance  and  looked  calmly 
on  the  unequal  contest.     When  it  had  raged  for 
two  hours,  he  ran  toward  the  grappled  ships,  fired 
a  broadside  into  the  Richard's  quarter,  and  killed 
several  of  her  men.    It  was  the  right  ship  for  him. 
He  had  made  no  mistake,  but  was  practicing  foul 
est  villainy — blackest  treason.     He  hoped  to  kill 
Jones,  make  an   easy   prize  of  the  Serapis,    and 
gain  all  the  honors  of  a  great  victory. 

10.  The  courage  of  Jones  quailed  not  in  that 
dreadful    hour,    nor    were    his  wonderful  efforts 
slackened.     Soon  the  commander  of  the  Alliance 
was  badly  wounded  and  his  men  were  scattered. 
Jones  took  his  place.     The  marines  in  the  tops  of 
the  Richard  soon  killed  or  dispersed  those  of  the 
enemy,    and   they  cast    hand-grenades  with  such 


120  STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

energy  and  success,  that  the  Serapis  was  set  on 
fire  in  a  dozen  places  at  the  same  time. 

11.  In  the  midst  of  the  appalling  scene,  when 
both  ships  were  on  fire,  the  wounded  carpenter  of 
the  Richard  said  she  must  sink.     The  frightened 
gunner  ran  aft  to  pull  down  the  American  flag, 
but  a  round  shot   had  carried    away  the  ensign- 
yard  an  hour  before.     Then   the   gunner   cried : 
"  Quarter  !  for  God's  sake,  quarter  !     Our  ship  is 
sinking ! "     He    continued    his  cries    until  Jones 
silenced  him  by  hurling   a   discharged   pistol  at 
his   head,    which   sent   him   headlong   down    the 
hatchway. 

12.  "  Do  you  call  for  quarter?  "  shouted  Cap 
tain  Pearson  to  Jones.     "  Never  !  "  responded  the 
lion-hearted  commodore.     "  Then  I'll  give  none  !  " 
replied  Pearson,  and  immediately  sent  a  party  to 
board  the  Richard.     They  were  met  at  the  rail  by 
Jones,  with  pike  in  hand,  and,  supposing  he  had 
many  at  his  back,  the  enemy  retreated.     At  that 
moment  there  was  a  sound  of  many  feet  rushing 
to  the  upper  deck  of  the  Richard.     The  master- 
at-arms  had  released  all  the  prisoners  on  board. 
One  of  them  had  escaped  to  the  Serapis  and  in 
formed  the  commander  of  the  utterly  crippled  con 
dition  of  the  Richard.     Encouraged  by  this  infor 
mation,  Pearson  renewed  the  battle  with  increased 
vigor. 


JOHN  PAUL  JONES.  121 

13.  The  situation  of  Jones  was  now  extremely 
critical.     His  ship  was  sinking,  his  heavy  guns 
were  all  silenced,  except  where  he  was  fighting ; 
some  of  his  officers  were  determined  on  surrender 
ing  ;  others  were  crying  for  quarter ;  and  a  large 
number   of  prisoners   were   free   to   do   as   they 
pleased.      Nothing  ever  appeared  more  hopeless 
than   his  prospect   of  success.     But   he   had    re 
sources  in  himself,  at  such  an  hour,  possessed  by 
few  men.     He  saw  the  affright  of  the  prisoners 
at  the  idea  of  sinking,  and  ordered  them  to  the 
pumps  to  save  their  lives.     As  he  expected,  the 
first  law  of  nature  overcame  their  desire  for  lib 
erty  and  duty  to  the  king. 

14.  Suddenly,  now,  the  flames  began  to  creep 
up  the  rigging  of  the  Serapis,  and  in  their  glare, 
and  the  full  light  of  the  moon,  Jones  saw  that  her 
mainmast  had  been  hewed  almost  asunder  by  his 
double-headed   shots.      Pie   immediately  renewed 
the  assault  at  that  point,  and  the  tall  mast  reeled. 
Captain  Pearson  perceived  his  danger,  and,  lacking 
the  courage  and  obstinacy   of  Jones  in  the  mo 
ment  of  great  peril,  he  struck  his  flag,  and  surren 
dered  to  his  really  weaker  foe. 

15.  "It  is  painful,"  he  said,  in  a  surly  manner 
to  Jones,  "  to  deliver  up  my  sword  to  a  man  who 
has  fought  with  a  halter  round  his  neck."     Jones 
preserved  his  temper,  and  courteously  replied,  as 


122 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


he  returned  the  weapon  :  "  Sir,  you  have  fought 
like  a  hero  ;  and  I  make  no  doubt  your  sovereign 
will  reward  you  in  the  most  ample  manner." 

16.  Even     so    it     happened,    for    knighthood 
awaited   Captain  Pearson  at  the  hands  of  King 


George  III,  because  of  his  bravery  on  this  occa 
sion.  It  is  said  that  when  Jones  was  told  of 
the  honor  conferred  upon  his  antagonist,  he  re 
marked  :  "  Well,  he  deserves  it ;  and  if  I  fall  in 
with  him  again,  I  will  make  a  lord  of  him  ! " 

Harper's  Magazine. 


THE  A  WAKENING.  123 

XXII. 
THE   AWAKENING. 

1.  WHEN  the  news  of  Lexington  and  Bunker 
Hill  spread  through  the  country,  the  people  were 
wild  with  excitement,  and  immediate  preparations 
were  made  for  war.      Old  muskets  and  swords 
were  brought  out  and  repaired,  and  blacksmiths 
everywhere   were  engaged  in  making  new  ones. 
In  every  household  the  wheel  and  loom  were  busy 
in  spinning  and  weaving  cloth  for  clothing  and 
blankets,  and  the  whole  country  seemed  about  to 
turn  into  one  vast  camp. 

2.  But   the   people  were   divided.      While   a 
great   majority   supported    the    patriot    cause,    a 
large  and  influential  class  still  clung  to  the  king. 
The  royalists  were  called  Tories,  and  they  called 
the  patriots  rebels  and  traitors.     In  some  commu 
nities  the  feeling  ran  so  high  that  there  was  dan 
ger  of  civil  war ;  but  in  general  the  Tories  were  so 
few  in  number  that  they  kept  very  quiet,  except 
when  protected  by  a  British  army.     The  propri 
etors  of  large  landed  estates,  which  had  been  de 
rived  directly  from  the  king,  were  usually  Tories, 
and  frequently  they  strove  with  might  and  main 
to  stem  the  rising  tide  of  patriotism. 

3.  The  poet,  Buchanan  Read,  has  given  a  vivid 


124  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

picture  of  these  times.  He  represents  a  country 
scene,  upon  a  beautiful  spring  morning.  The 
people  had  all  assembled  at  the  sound  of  the  bell. 
In  his  great  square  pew,  in  the  center  of  the 
church,  was  Berkeley,  the  lord  of  the  manor,  and 
his  family,  and  in  humbler  places  sat  the  farmers 
and  mechanics  with  their  wives  and  little  ones. 
While  all  seemed  to  respect  the  sacredness  of  the 
place  and  the  day,  there  was  a  frown  upon  the 
brow^  of  Berkeley,  and  significant  smiles  upon  the 
faces  of  his  neighbors. 
Then,  the  poet  says — 

4.  The  pastor  rose  ;  the  prayer  was  strong ; 
The  psalm  was  warrior  David's  song ; 
The  text — a  few  short  words  of  might — 
"  The  Lord  of  hosts  shall  arm  the  right " 
He  spoke  of  wrongs  too  long  endured, 
Of  sacred  rights  to  be  secured ; 
Then  from  his  patriot  tongue  of  flame 
The  startling  words  for  Freedom  came. 
The  stirring  sentences  he  spake 
Compelled  the  heart  to  glow  or  quake, 
And,  rising  on  his  theme's  broad  wing, 

And  grasping  in  his  nervous  hand 

The  imaginary  battle-brand, 
In  face  of  death  he  dared  to  fling 
Defiance  to  a  tyrant  king. 


THE  AWAKENING.  125 

5.  Even  as  lie  spoke,  his  frame  renewed 
In  eloquence  of  attitude, 

Rose,  as  it  seemed,  a  shoulder  higher ; 
Then   swept  his  kindling  glance  of  fire 
From  startled  pew  to  breathless  choir ; 
When  suddenly  his  mantle  wide 
His  hands  impatient  flung  aside, 
And,  lo  !  he  met  their  wondering  eyes, 
Complete  in  all  a  warrior's  guise. 

6.  A  moment  there  was  awful  pause, 

When    Berkeley   cried  ;    "  Cease,   traitor  ! 
cease ! 

God's  temple  is  the  house  of  peace  ! " 
The  other  shouted :  "  Nay,  not  so, 
When  God  is  with  our  righteous  cause : 

His  holiest  places  then  are  ours, 

His  temples  are  our  forts  and  towers, 
That  frown  upon  the  tyrant  foe ; 
In  this,  the  dawn  of  Freedom's  day, 
There  is  a  time  to  fight  and  pray  ! " 

7.  And  now  before  the  open  door— 

The  warrior-priest  had  ordered  so— 
The  enlisting  trumpet's  sudden  roar 
Rang  through  the  chapel  o'er  and  o'er. 

Its  long  reverberating  blow, 
So  loud  and  clear,  it  seemed  the  ear 
Of  dusty  Death  must  wake  and  hear; 


126  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

And  then  the  startling  drum  and  fife 
Fired  the  living  with  fiercer  life  ; 
While  overhead,  with  wild  increase, 
Forgetting  its  ancient  toll  of  peace, 
The  sreat  bell  swung  as  ne'er  before  : 

o  o 

It  seemed  as  it  would  never  cease ; 
And  every  word  its  ardor  flung 
From  off  its  jubilant  iron  tongue 
Was,  "  War  !  war !  war  ! " 

8.  "  Who  dares  "•  —this  was  the  patriot's  cry, 
As  striding  from  his  desk  he  came— 
"  Come  out  with  me  in  Freedom's  name^ 
For  her  to  live,  for  her  to  die  ?  " 
A  hundred  hands  flung  up  reply, 
A  hundred  voices  answered,  "  I ! " 


XXIII. 

GENERAL    MARION. 


1.  GENERAL  FRANCIS  MARION,  born  in  South 
Carolina  in  the  same  year  that  gave  birth  to  George 
Washington,  was  distinguished  as  one  of  the  lead 
ing  officers  of  the  War  of  Independence.  His  suc 
cess  in  the  campaign  of  South  Carolina,  where 


GENERAL   MARION.  127 

rivers  and  swamps  abounded,  brought  him  the 
title  of  "  Swamp-Fox."  When  he  was  encamped 
at  Snow's  Island  in  1780,  he  received  a  flag  of 
truce  brought  by  the  hands  of  a  young  British 
officer  who  came  blindfolded. 

2.  Having    heard    great   talk   about   General 
Marion,  he  fancied  him  some  stout  figure  of  a  war 
rior,  such  as  O'Hara,  or  Cornwallis  himself.     But 
what  was  his  surprise,  when,  led  into  Marion's 
presence,  and  the  bandage  taken  from  his  eyes,  he 
beheld  in  our  hero  a  swarthy,  smoke-dried  little 
man,  with,  scarce  enough  of  threadbare  homespun 
to  cover  his  nakedness  ;  and,  in  place  of  tall  ranks 
of  gayly-dressed  soldiers,  a  handful  of  sunburned, 
yellow-legged  militia-men — some  roasting  potatoes, 
and  some  asleep,  with  their  black  firelocks  and 
powder-horns  lying  by  them  on  the  logs  !    Having 
recovered  a  little  from  his  surprise,  he  presented 
his  letter  to  General  Marion,  who  perused  it,  and 
soon  settled  everything  to  his  satisfaction. 

3.  The  officer  took  up  his  hat  to  retire.     "  Oh, 
no,"  said  Marion,  "it  is  now  about  our  time  of 
dining,  and  I  hope,  sir,  you  will  give  us  the  pleas 
ure  of  your  company  to  dinner."     At  mention  of 
the   word    "dinner,"   the    British    officer    looked 
around  him ;  but,  to  his  mortification,  he  could  see 
no  sign  of  a  pot  or  pan,  or  any  other  cooking-uten 
sil.     "  Well,  Tom,17  said  the  general  to  one  of  his 


128 


STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


men,  "  come,  give  us  our  dinner.1'     The  feast  to 
which   he  alluded  was  no  other  than  a  heap  of 

sweet-potatoes,  that  were 
snugly  roasting  under  the 
embers,  and  which  Tom, 
with  his  stick-poker,  soon 
released  from  their  ashy 
confinement,  pinching 
them  every  now  and  then 
with  his  fingers  to  see 
whether  they  were  well 
done. 

4.  "I  fear,  sir,"  said 
the  general,  "our  dinner 
will  not  prove  so  palata 
ble  to  you  as  I  could 
wish,  but  it  is  the  best  we  have."  The  officer, 
who  was  a  well-bred  man,  took  up  one  of  the  po 
tatoes  and  began  to  eat,  as  if  he  had  found  a  great 
dainty.  Presently  he  broke  out  into  a  hearty 
laugh.  Marion  looked  surprised.  "  I  beg  pardon, 
general/'  said  he,  "  but  one  can  not,  you  know,  al 
ways  command  himself."  "  I  suppose,"  replied 
Marion,  "  it  is  not  equal  to  your  style  of  living." 
"  No,  indeed,"  quoth  the  officer,  "  and  I  imagine 
this  is  one  of  your  accidental  Lent  dinners.  In 
general,  no  doubt,  you  live  a  great  deal  better." 
5.  "  Rather  worse,"  answered  the  general,  "  for 


GENERAL  MARION.  129 

often  we  don't  get  even  enough  of  this."  "  Heav 
ens  ! "  rejoined  the  officer,  "  but  probably,  stinted 
in  provisions,  you  draw  noble  pay  ? "  "  Not  a 
cent,  sir,"  said  Marion — "not  a  cent."  Heavens 
and  earth  !  Then  you  must  be  in  a  bad  box," 
continued  the  officer.  "I  don't  see,  general,  how 
you  can  stand  it."  "Why,  sir,"  replied  Marion, 
with  a  smile,  "these  things  depend  on  feeling." 
The  Englishman  said  he  did  not  believe  it  would 
be  an  easy  matter  to  reconcile  his  feelings  to  a 
soldier's  life  on  General  Marion's  terms.  "  Why, 
sir,"  answered  the  general,  "  the  heart  is  all,  and, 
when  that  is  much  interested,  a  man  can  do  any 
thing.  Many  a  youth  would  think  it  hard  to 
make  himself  a  slave  for  fourteen  years.  But  let 
him  be  head  and  ears  over  in  love,  and  with  such 
a  beauteous  sweetheart  as  Rachel,  and  he  will 
think  no  more  of  fourteen  years'  servitude  than 
young  Jacob  did.  Well,  now,  this  is  exactly  my 
case.  I  am  in  love,  and  my  sweetheart  is  Lib 
erty." 

6.  The  officer  replied  that,  both  as  a  man  and 
a  Briton,  he  must  certainly  count  this  as  a  happy 
state  of  things.  "  Happy  !  "  quoth  Marion  ;  "  yes, 
happy  indeed ;  and  I  had  rather  fight  for  such 
blessings  for  my  country  and  feed  on  roots,  than 
keep  aloof,  though  wallowing  in  all  the  luxuries 
of  Solomon.  For,  now,  sir,  I  walk  the  soil  that 


130  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

gave  me  birth,  and  exult  in  the  thought  that  I  am 
not  unworthy  of  it.  I  look  upon  these  venerable 
trees  around  me,  and  feel  that  I  do  not  dishonor 
them.  The  children  of  future  generations  may 
never  hear  my  name,  but  it  gladdens  my  heart  to 
think  that  I  am  now  contending  for  their  freedom 
and  all  its  countless  blessings." 

7.  When  he  returned  to  Georgetown,  the  offi 
cer  was  asked  by  Colonel  Watson  why  he  looked 
so  serious.  "  I  have  cause,  sir,"  said  he,  "  to  look 
serious."  "  What,  has  General  Marion  refused  to 
treat  2 "  "  No,  sir,"  said  the  officer.  "  Well,  then, 
has  old  Washington  defeated  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
and  broken  up  our  army  ? "  "  No,  sir,  not  that 
neither,  but  worse."  "  Ah  !  what  can  be  worse  ? " 
continued  the  colonel.  "Why,  sir,"  said  the  offi 
cer,  "  I  have  seen  an  American  general  and  his 
officers  without  pay,  and  almost  without  clothes, 
living  on  roots  and  drinking  water,  and  all  for 
liberty !  What  chance  have  we  against  such 
men  ? "  It  is  said  Colonel  Watson  was  not  much 
obliged  to  him  for  this  speech.  But  the  young 
officer  was  so  much  struck  with  Marion's  senti 
ments  that  he  never  rested  until  he  threw  up  his 
commission  and  retired  from  the  service. 

Weems. 


WASHINGTON  CROSSING    THE  DELAWARE.    131 

XXIV. 
WASHINGTON    CROSSING    THE    DELAWARE. 

1.  THE  crossing  of  the  Delaware  on  the  night 
of  December  24,  1776,  and  the  following  victories 
at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  are  among  the  most  im 
portant   events   of   the   Revolutionary    War.     A 
cloud  of  gloom   rested   upon  the  country,  and  a 
want  of  confidence  made  it  difficult  to  raise  money 
to  maintain  military  operations.     These  victories 
gave  the  country  new  heart,  and  established  its 
confidence    in   "Washington    as    a    great    leader. 
General   Howe,    commander- in-chief   of   the  Brit 
ish  forces,  remained  in  New  York,  committing  the 
conduct  of  the  campaign  in  New  Jersey  to  Lord 
Cornwallis.     This  military  commander    extended 
his  long  and  weak  line  to  the  Delaware,  hoping 
ultimately  to  take    Philadelphia.      Washington's 
masterly  movement  across  the  river,  his  success  at 
Trenton  and  Princeton,  and  his  withdrawal  toward 
Monmouth  instead  of  Philadelphia,  entirely  discon 
certed  the  plans  of  the  enemy. 

2.  Christmas-night  was  selected  by   Washing 
ton  for  the  execution  of  the  enterprise.     He  well 
knew  the  German  habit  of  celebrating  that  day 
with  feasting  and  drinking,  and  reasoned  wisely 
on  the  probability  of  a  large  portion  of  the  Hes- 


132 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


WASHINGTON   CROSSING    THE  DELAWARE.    133 

sian  troops,  that  were  stationed  by  the  British  at 
Trenton,  being  half  disabled  by  intemperate  in- 
diligence.  The  division  with  which  Washington 
was  to  cross  the  Delaware  consisted  of  t\venty 
four  hundred  men,  with  twenty  pieces  of  artil 
lery.  The  weather  was  cold.  The  river  was 
full  of  floating  ice,  and  it  was  doubtful  whether  a 
crossing  could  be  effected.  Washington  superin 
tended  the  whole  in  person,  and  it  was  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning  when  the  entire  army, 
with  its  artillery,  had  made  its  tedious  and  peril 
ous  way  through  the  icy  waters,  and  stood  upon 
the  eastern  shore  in  a  bitter  wind,  and  under  a 
storm  of  hail  and  snow. 

3.  As  the  day  broke,  a  countryman  came  out 
to  chop  wood  for  his  fire,  and  some  one  of  the 
staff  who  rode  with  General  Washington  at  the 
head  of  the  troops  inquired  where  the  picket  lay. 
u  I  don't  know,  I'm  sure,"  said  the  fellow,  who  had 
no  idea  of   getting  himself  into  trouble.     "  You 
need  not  be  afraid  to  tell,"  said  the  aide ;  "  this 
is  General  Washington."     "  God  bless  and  prosper 
you,  sir,"  said  the  farmer;  "there  they  are,  and 
just  by  the  tree  stands  the  sentry."     They  moved 
on  at  a  quicker  pace.     In  another  moment  all  was 
confusion. 

4.  Washington  had  separated  his  troops  into 
three  divisions.     Each  encountered  the  outguards 


134  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

at  the  same  time,  and  a  brisk  skirmish  ensued. 
The  Hessian  drums  beat  to  arms,  and  in  a  few 
moments  the  disordered  ranks  were  marshaled 
into  battle  order  by  the  brave  Colonel  Rail.  The 
Amei'icans  were  pressing  closer  and  closer,  and 
with  deadly  aim  were  thinning  the  Hessian  ranks. 
At  length  a  bullet  mortally  wounded  Colonel 
Rail,  and  he  fell  from  his  horse  pale  and  bleeding. 
The  victory  of  the  Americans  was  complete. 
They  lost  in  the  engagement  only  two  privates 
killed,  and  two  others  frozen  to  death.  The  ene 
my  lost  six  officers,  and  between  twenty  and  thirty 
men  killed.  About  nine  hundred  non-commis 
sioned  officers  and  privates  were  made  prisoners. 
The  trophies  were  six  brass  field-pieces,  a  thou 
sand  stand  of  arms,  twelve  drums,  and  four  colors. 
5.  The  British  retreated  to  Princeton,  and 
Washington  withdrew  and  entered  Philadelphia 
with  triumphal  greetings.  On  the  2d  of  Janu 
ary,  1777,  having  again  crossed  the  Delaware, 
his  guns  were  planted  on  the  banks  of  the  Assun- 
pink,  a  small  stream  that  empties  into  the  river 
below  Trenton.  "  Now  is  your  time  to  make  sure 
of  Washington,"  said  one  of  the  British  officers  to 
Lord  Cornwallis.  "  The  old  fox  can't  escape  this 
time,"  said  Cornwallis,  "  for  the  Delaware  is  frozen 
and  we  have  him  completely  in  our  power.  To 
morrow  morning  we  will  fall  upon  him,  and  take 


ETHAN  ALLEN  AND   TICONDEROGA.  135 

1  ill  11  and  liis  ragamuffins  all  at  once."  "  If  Wash 
ington  be  the  soldier  I  think  him,"  replied  the 
officer,  "  you'll  not  see  him  to-morrow  morning." 

6.  And  so  the  event  proved  ;  for  Washington, 
after  setting  the  night-watch,  and  kindling  a  row 
of  fires  along  the  bank  of  the  creek,  withdrew  his 
army  so  quietly  that  his  departure  was  not  sus 
pected.  And  when,  in  the  morning,  they  were 
asking  "  Where  can  Washington  be  gone  ? "  the 
booming  of  the  cannon  was  heard  in  the  direction 
of  Princeton.  Then  came  the  battle  of  Princeton, 
the  fall  of  General  Mercer,  and  another  victory 
for  our  arms. 


xxv. 
ETHAN   ALLEN    AND   TICONDEROGA. 

1.  THE  fortress  of  Ticonderoga,  near  the  out 
let  of  Lake  George,  had  long  since  been  estab 
lished  by  the  French,  and  formed  one  of  the  keys 
to  all  communication  between  New  York  and 
Canada.  It  had  surrendered  to  the  English 
forces  in  1758.  Soon  after  the  battle  of  Lexing 
ton,  in  1775,  the  Provincial  Assembly  of  Connect 
icut  appointed  Edward  Mott  and  Noah  Phelps  to 
examine  the  condition  and  strength  of  this  fort,  and, 


136 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY, 


if  they  found  it  expedient,  to  raise  men  and  try  to 
capture  it.  They  proceeded  to  Bennington,  Ver 
mont. 

2.  Here  they  found    Colonel   Ethan  Allen,  a 
man  of  strong  mind,  vigorous  frame,  upright  in  all 

his  ways,  fearless  in 
the  discharge  of  his 
duty,  and  a  zealous 
patriot.  He  joined 
their  expedition  with 
his  Green  Mountain 
Boys,  and  the  whole 
party,  two  hundred 
and  seventy  men, 
reached  Castleton  at 
dusk,  on  May  7th. 
Here  they  were  met 
by  Benedict  Arnold, 
who  came  with  a  com 
mission  from  the  Committee  of  Safety  authoriz 
ing  him  to  command  the  expedition  against  Ti- 
conderoga.  This  was  objected  to,  and  the  sol 
diers  who  were  attached  to  Allen  declared  that 
they  would  shoulder  their  muskets  and  march 
home  rather  than  serve  under  any  other  leader. 
Arnold  made  a  virtue  of  necessity,  and  united 
himself  to  the  expedition  as  a  volunteer. 

3.  Allen  marched  to  the  shore  of  the  lake  op- 


ETHAN  ALLEN  AND   TICONDEROGA.  137 

posite  Ticonderoga  during  the  night.  He  applied 
to  a  farmer  named  Burren  for  a  guide,  who  offered 
his  son  Nathan,  a  lad  who  passed  a  good  deal  of 
his  time  within  the  fort  with  the  boys  of  the  gar 
rison,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  every  secret 
way  that  led  to  or  within  the  fortress.  The 
day  began  to  dawn,  and  only  the  officers  and 
eighty-three  men  had  crossed  the  lake.  Delay 
was  hazardous,  for  the  garrison,  if  aroused,  would 
make  stout  resistance.  Allen,  therefore,  resolved 
not  to  wait  for  the  rear  division  to  cross,  but  to 
attack  the  fort  at  once.  Then  placing  himself  at 
the  head  of  his  men,  with  Arnold  by  his  side, 
they  march  quickly  but  stealthily  up  the  height 
to  the  sally-port. 

4.  The  sentinel  snapped  his  fusee  at  the  com 
mander,  but  it  missed  fire,  and  he  retreated  within 
the  fort  under  a  covered  way.  The  Americans 
followed  close  upon  his  heels,  and  were  guided  by 
the  alarmed  fugitive  directly  to  the  parade  within 
the  barracks.  All  the  troops  rushed  into  the  pa 
rade  under  the  covered  way,  they  gave  a  tremen 
dous  shout,  and  filing  into  two  divisions,  formed  a 
line  of  forty  men  each  along  the  southwestern 
and  northwestern  range  of  barracks.  The  aroused 
garrison  leaped  from  their  pallets,  seized  their  arms, 
and  rushed  for  the  parade,  but  only  to  be  made  pris 
oners  by  the  bold  New-Englanders.  At  the  same 


138 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


ETHAN  ALLEN  AND   TICONDEROGA.          139 

moment  Allen,  with  young  Barren  at  his  elbow  as 
guide,  ascended  the  steps  to  the  door  of  the  quar 
ters  of  Captain  Delaplace,  the  commandant  of  the 
garrison,  and,  giving  three  raps  with  the  hilt  of 
his  sword,  with  a  voice  of  peculiar  power  ordered 
him  to  appear,  or  the  whole  garrison  would  be 
sacrificed. 

5.  It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
The  loud  shout  of  the  invaders  had  awakened  the 
captain  and  his  wife,  both  of  whom   sprang   to 
the  door  just  as  Allen  made  his  strange  demand. 
Delaplace  appeared  in  shirt  and  drawers,  with  the 
frightened  face  of  his  pretty  wife   peering   over 
his  shoulder.    He  and  Allen  had  been  old  friends, 
and,  upon  recognition,  the  captain  assumed  bold 
ness,  and  authoritatively  demanded  his  disturber's 
errand.      Allen  pointed  to  his  men,  and  sternly 
exclaimed,  "  I  order  you  instantly  to  surrender  !  " 
"  By  what  authority  do  you  demand  it  ? "  said  Dela 
place.     "  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and 
the  Continental  Congress  ! "  thundered  Allen,  and, 
raising  his  sword  over  the  head  of  the  captain, 
ordered  him  to  be  silent  and  surrender  immedi 
ately. 

6.  There   was  no  alternative.     Delaplace  had 
about  as  much  respect  for  the  "  Continental  Con 
gress  "  as  Allen  had  for  "  Britons,"  and  they  re 
spectively  relied  upon  and   feared   powder   and 


140  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

ball  more  than  either.  In  fact,  the  Continental 
Congress  was  but .  a  shadow,  for  it  did  not  meet 
for  organization  until  six  hours  afterward,  and  its 
"  authority  "  was  yet  scarcely  acknowledged  even 
by  the  patriots  in  the  field.  But  Delaplace  ordered 
his  troops  to  parade  without  arms,  the  garrison  of 
forty-eight  men  were  surrendered  prisoners  of  war, 
and  with  the  women  and  children  were  sent  to 
Hartford  in  Connecticut. 

7.  The  spoils  were  one  hundred  and  twenty 
pieces  of  iron  cannon,  fifty  swivels,  two  ten-inch 
mortars,  one  howitzer,  one  cohorn,  ten  tons  of 
musket-balls,  three  cart-loads  of  flints,  thirty  new 
carriages,  a  considerable  quantity  of  shells,  a  ware 
house  full  of  material  for  boat-building,  one  hun 
dred  stand  of  small-arms,  ten  casks  of  poor  pow 
der,  two  brass  cannon,  thirty  barrels  of  flour, 
eighteen  barrels  of  pork,  and  some  beans  and  peas. 


XXVI, 

VALLEY    FORGE. 


1.  SOON  after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  in 
October,  1777,  the  winter  set  in  with  uncommon 
severity,  and  all  active  military  operations  were 


VALLEY  FORGE.  141 

postponed  until  spring.  Washington  with  his 
main  army  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia, 
watching  the  movements  of  Lord  Howe,  and  ready 
to  oppose  raids  into  the  country,  or  to  attack  the 
city,  should  such  a  step  seem  advisable.  But  the 
summer  camp  must  be  abandoned.  The  thin 
shelter-tents  were  no  protection  from  the  pitiless 
cold  of  bleak  December.  Some  winter-quarters 
must  be  sought — not  so  near  the  city  as  to  per 
petually  invite  an  attack,  and  not  so  far  away  as 
to  leave  the  enemy  free  from  care  and  anxiety. 
The  place  finally  chosen  was  Valley  Forge,  fourteen 
miles  southwest  of  Philadelphia,  within  easy  dis 
tance  of  the  routes  which  the  British  must  take 
should  they  try  to  return  to  New  York. 

2.  But  there  were  no  houses  at  Valley  Forge, 
and  some  means  of  shelter  must  be  provided.     It 
was  about  the  middle  of  December  wrhen  Wash 
ington  gave  the  order  to  prepare  the  winter  vil 
lage  for  the  army.     The  men  were  divided  into 
parties  of  twelve,  each  party  to  build  a  hut  for  its 
own  accommodation.     The  huts  were  fourteen  by 
sixteen  feet,  with  walls  six  and  a  half  feet  high. 
They  were  built  of  logs  lined  with  clay.     A  rude 
chimney  was  attached  to  each  hut.     The  officers' 
quarters  were  similar  to  those  of  the  men,  but  a 
little  larger. 

3.  While  the  men  were  at  work  the  weather 


142 


STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY, 


turned  bitterly  cold,  and  the  suffering  among  them 
was  intense.    They  were  poorly  dressed,  and  there 


Valley  forge. 

was  no  way  within  the  power  of  Washington  or 
of  Congress  to  provide  them  with  new  clothing. 

4.  Here  is  a  description  of  one  of  these  soldiers, 
from  an  eye-witness :  "  His  bare  feet  peep  through 
his  worn-out  shoes  nearly  naked,  from  the  tattered 
remains  of  an  only  pair  of  stockings,  his  breeches 
hanging  in  strings ;  his  face  wan  and  thin ;  his 
look  hungry ;  his  whole  appearance  that  of  a  man 
forsaken  and  neglected."  The  officers  were  scarce- 


VALLEY  FORGE.  143 

ly  better  off.  The  uniforms  were  torn  and  ragged  ; 
the  guns  were  rusty — a  few  only  had  bayonets0 
No  pay  came  from  the  Government,  and  many 
times  during  the  winter  the  army  were  on  the 
very  verge  of  starvation. 

5.  That  men  were  kept  together  during  the 
terrible  winter  reflects  the   highest  credit  upon 
Washington,  both  for  the  fertility  of  his  resources 
and   for   the    combined    firmness    and    sympathy 
which  he  displayed,  winning  the  entire  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  men.     His  feelings  are  well 
shown  in  the  following  extract  from  one  of  his 
letters  to  Congress : 

6.  "  No  order  of  men  in  the  thirteen  States  has 
paid  a  more  sacred  regard  to  the  proceedings  of 
Congress  than  the  army ;  for,  without  arrogance, 
or  the  smallest  deviation  from  truth,  it  may  be 
said  that  no  histoiy  now  extant  can  furnish  an 
instance  of  an  army's  suffering  such  uncommon 
hardships  as  ours  has  done,  and  bearing  them  with 
the  same   patience  and  fortitude.      To  see  men 
without  clothes  to  cover  them,  without  blankets 
to  lie  on,  without  shoes,  for  the  want  of  which 
their  marches  may  be  traced  by  the  blood  from 
their  feet,  and  almost  as  often  without  provisions 
as  with  them,  marching  through  the  frost  and  the 
snow,  and  at  Christmas  taking  up  their  winter- 
quarters  within  a  day's  march  of  the  enemy,  with- 


10 


144-  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

^ 

out  a  house  or  hut  to  cover  them  till  they  could 
be  built,  and  submitting  without  a  murmur,  is  a 
proof  of  patience  and  obedience  which,  in  my  opin 
ion,  can  scarcely  be  paralleled." 

7.  The    horses    died    of   starvation,  and    the 
men  harnessed   themselves  to  trucks  and    sleds, 
hauling  wood  and  provisions  from  storehouse  to 
hut.     At  one  time  there  was  not  a  ration  in  camp. 
Then  the  strong  hand  of  Washington  was  felt, 
and  the  soldiers  saw  that  their  confidence  had  not 
been  misplaced.     He  issued  his  orders,  and  com 
pelled  the  people  of  the  country  about  to  bring 
their  stores  of  provisions  to  Valley  Forge,  that 
they  had  been  wont  to  sell  to  the  British  at  Phila 
delphia. 

8.  At  one  time,  when  the  provisions  were  all 
out,  and  the  men  nearly  starved,  a  mutiny  broke 
out,   several   regiments   refusing   to   obey  orders 
until  they  were  paid.     General  Wayne  was  in  the 
immediate  command,  and  no  man  in  the  army  save 
Washington  was  more  respected.      But  in   vain 
did  "Mad  Anthony,"  as  Wayne  was  called  by  his 
men,  expostulate  and  command.     In  the  ardor  of 
his  harangue  he  drew  a  pistol  to  menace  the  mu 
tineers.     In  an  instant  a  hundred  muskets  were 
leveled  at  his  head,  and  one  of  the  leaders  cried 
out :  "  General,  we  love  and  respect  you,  but  if  you 
fire  you  are  a  dead  man.     Do  not  think  we  are 


VALLEY  FORGE.  145 

about  to  desert !  Should  the  enemy  appear,  you 
will  see  that  we  will  fight  as  usual ;  but  we  must 
have  our  pay,  so  that  we  may  not  starve,  and  may 
have  clothes  to  cover  our  nakedness."  The  troops 
remained  under  arms  for  several  hours,  but  at 
length  Washington  succeeded  in  inducing  them  to 
return  to  their  obedience. 

9.  About  the  first  of  March,  when  the  greater 
part  of  the  winter  had  passed,  Baron  Steuben,  a 
trained  Prussian  officer,  joined  the  army  as  a  vol 
unteer.  He  was  at  once  made  inspector  of  the 
armies,  and  speedily  the  whole  camp  was  turned 
into  a  military  school,  and  the  patriot  farmers  and 
artisans  who  had  taken  their  lives  in  their  hands 
in  defense  of  their  country  were  soon  converted 
into  an  efficient  and  well-drilled  soldiery.  But 
while  we  are  enjoying  all  the  comforts  of  life 
under  our  Government,  we  should  remember  the 
terrible  winter  at  Valley  Forge  and  its  suffering 
as  one  of  the  incidents  which  made  our  nation 
possible.  All  honor  to  Washington  and  to  his 
brave,  patient,  suffering  men  ! 


146  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

XXVII. 

BURGOYNE    AND   SARATOGA. 

1.  AMONG  the  most  important  events  of  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  were  the  battles  of  Still- 
water  and  Saratoga.     By  consulting  the  map,  it  is 
easy  to  point  out  the  localities  of  these  battles. 
In  all  the  movements  of  the  two  armies  it  was 
necessary  to  keep  close  to  the  lines  of  water  com 
munication,  as  in  those  days  a  railroad  was  not 
thought  of.     Hence  the  Hudson  River,  reaching 
from  near  the  head  of  Lake  Champlain  to  the  city 
of  New  York,  was  an  important  means  of  commu 
nication  for  the  carrying  of  troops  and  army  sup 
plies.     In  these  battles,  General  Burgoyne,  com 
manding  the  British  army,  was  nearly  surrounded 
by  the  Americans,  who  had  cut  olf  his  retreat  to 
the  north,   and   his   advance   to  Albany  on   the 
south. 

2.  The  battle  of  Still  water  was  fought  on  the 
19th  of  September,  1777.     The  British  army  num 
bered  about  five  thousand,  and  that  of  the  Ameri 
cans  about  seven  thousand.     The  American  army 
was  commanded  by  General  Gates  ;  and  with  him 
fought  Benedict  Arnold,  who  afterward  became 
a  miserable  traitor  to  the  American  cause.     This 
was  one  of  the  fiercest  and  most  obstinate  battles 


BURGOYNE  AND  SARATOGA. 


147 


of  the  war.  Some  of  the  Americans  climbed  tall 
trees,  and  from  these  concealed  perches,  with  skill 
ful  aim,  picked  off 
the  British  officers 
one  by  one.  And 
it  is  but  just  to  say 
that,  to  the  prompt 
action  and  bravery 
of  General  Arnold, 
the  success  of  the 
Americans  was  in 
great  measure  due. 
It  is  said  that  Gates 
was  jealous  of  Ar 
nold's  well  -  earned 
reputation  and 
growing  popularity 
with  the  army. 

3.  On  the  7th 
of  October  the  sec 
ond  battle  of  Still- 
water  was  fought, 
and  in  this  engagement  the  brave  English  officer, 
General  Fraser,  fell.  Had  General  Burgoyne 
been  aware  of  the  condition  of  the  American 
army  after  the  first  battle,  he  might  easily  have 
won  a  victory.  There  were  not  forty  rounds  of 
cartridges  for  each  man,  and  not  more  than  three 


148  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

days'  provisions.  But  on  the  20th  of  September 
supplies  arrived,  and  on  the  29th  two  thousand 
New  England  troops  joined  the  main  army.  This 
second  conflict  was  terrible  indeed,  "and  in  the 
midst  of  the  flame,  and  smoke,  and  metal  hail,  Ar 
nold  was  conspicuous  "  ;  but  his  horse  was  killed 
under  him,  and  he  himself  was  severely  wounded 
in  the  same  leg  which  had  been  badly  lacerated  by 
a  musket-ball  at  the  storming  of  Quebec  two  years 
before. 

4.  General  Burgoyne  was  compelled  to  make 
a  hasty  retreat  toward  Saratoga.     Here,  finding 
himself  completely  surrounded,  he  was  constantly 
exposed  to  the  'fire  of  cannon  and  musketry  of  the 
Americans.     There  was  not  a  place  of  safety  for 
the  sick,  wounded,  and  dying,  or  for  the  women 
and  children  of  the  officers  and  soldiers.     There 
was  no  secure  place  for  a  council.     "  None  dared 
go  to  the  river  for  water,  and  thirst  began  to  dis 
tress  the  camp."     The  Indians  and  Canadians  be 
gan  to  desert  him.    There  was  not  bread  for  three 
days  in  store,  and  supplies  were  cut  off,  and  the 
last  ray  of  hope  had  faded  away. 

5.  On    the   morning   of  the    13th,    Burgoyne 
called  a  general  council  of  all  officers,  including 
captains  of  companies.     Their  deliberations  were 
held   in  a   large   tent,   which  was  several   times 
perforated   by  musket-balls  from  the  Americans. 


BUROOYNE  AND  SARATOGA.  149 

Several  grape-shot  struck  near  the  tent,  and  an 
eighteen-pound  cannon-ball  swept  across  the  table 
at  which  sat  Burgoyne  and  the  other  generals. 
Their  deliberations  were  short,  as  might  be  ex 
pected,  and  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  open 
a  treaty  with  General  Gates  for  an  honorable  sur 
render.  It  was  a  bitter  pill  for  the  proud  lieuten 
ant-general,  but  there  was  no  alternative.  The 
surrender  was  formally  made  on  the  morning  of 
the  17th. 

6.  As  soon  as  the  troops  had  laid  down  their 
arms,  General  Burgoyne  proposed  to  be  intro 
duced  to  General  Gates.  The  latter  was  informed 
of  the  approach  of  Burgoyne,  and  with  his  staff 
met  him  at  the  head  of  his  camp  about  a  mile 
south  of  Fish  Creek,  Burgoyne  in  a  rich  uniform 
of  scarlet  and  gold,  and  Gates  in  a  plain  blue 
frock-coat.  When  within  a  sword's  length,  they 
reined  up  and  halted.  Colonel  Wilkinson  then 
named  the  gentlemen,  and  General  Burgoyne, 
raising  his  hat  gracefully,  said,  "The  fortune  of 
war,  General  Gates,  has  made  me  your  prisoner." 
The  victor  promptly  replied,  "I  shall  always 
be  ready  to  bear  testimony  that  it  has  not  been 
through  any  fault  of  your  Excellency."  The  other 
officers  were  introduced  in  turn,  and  the  whole 
party  repaired  to  Gates's  headquarters,  where  a 
sumptuous  dinner  was  served. 


150  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

7.  After  dinner  the  American  army  was  drawn 
up  in  parallel  lines  on  each  side  of  the  road,  ex 
tending  nearly  a  mile.     Between  these  victorious 
troops   the  British    army,  with   light-infantry  in 
front,  and  escorted  by  a  company  of  light  dra 
goons,  preceded  by  two  officers  bearing  the  Ameri 
can  flag,  marched  to  the  lively  tune  of  "  Yankee 
Doodle."     Just  as  they  passed,  the  two  command 
ing  generals  came  out  together,  and,  fronting  the 
procession,  gazed  upon  it  in  silence  for  a  few  mo 
ments.     What  a  contrast,  in  every  particular,  did 
the  two  present ! 

8.  Burgoyne  had  a  large  and  commanding  per 
son  ;  Gates  was  smaller,  and  far  less  dignified  in 
appearance.     Burgoyne  was  the  victim  of  disap 
pointed  hopes  and  foiled  ambition,   and   looked 
upon  the  scene  with  sorrow ;  Gates  was  buoyant 
with  the  first  flush  of  a  great  victory.     Without 
exchanging  a  word,  Burgoyne  stepped  back,  drew 
his  sword,  and,  in  the  presence  of  the  two  armies, 
presented  it  to  General   Gates.     He  received  it 
with   a   courteous   inclination    of  the   head,    and 
instantly  returned  it  to  the  vanquished  general. 
They  then  retired  together,  the  British  army  filed 
off,  and  took  up  their  line  of  march  for  Boston, 
and  thus  ended   the  drama  upon  the  heights  of 
Saratoga. 


THE  BARONESS  RIEDESEL,  15; 

XXVIII. 
THE    BARONESS   RIEDESEL. 

lo  MANY  of  the  officers  of  General  Burgoyne's 
army  were  accompanied  during  the  campaign  by 
their  wives  and  children.  Among  the  ladies  of 
the  camp  were  Lady  Ackland  and  the  Baroness 
Riedesel,  whose  experiences,  after  the  defeat  and 
surrender  of  Burgoyne,  have  been  graphically  de 
scribed  by  Baroness  Kiedesel  herself.  "On  the 
7th  of  October,"  she  says,  "  our  misfortunes  began. 
I  was  at  breakfast  with  my  husband,  and  heard 
that  something  was  intended.  On  the  same  day  I 
expected  Generals  Burgoyne,  Phillips,  and  Fraser 
to  dine  with  us. 

2.  "  I  saw  a  great  movement  among  the  troops. 
My  husband  told  me  it  was  merely  a  reconnais 
sance,  which  gave  me  no  concern,  as  it  often  hap 
pened.  I  walked  out  of  the  house  and  met  several 
Indians,  in  their  war-dresses,  with  guns  in  their 
hands.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  in 
stead  of  the  guests  whom  I  expected,  General  Fra 
ser  was  brought  on  a  litter,  mortally  w^ounded. 
The  table,  which  was  already  set,  was  instantly 
removed,  and  a  bed  placed  in  its  stead  for  the 
wounded  general.  I  sat  trembling  in  the  corner. 
The  noise  grew  louder.  The  thought  that  my 


152  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

husband  might,  perhaps,  be  brought  in,  wounded 
in  the  same  manner,  was  terrible  to  me.  I  did  not 
know  which  way  to  turn.  All  the  rooms  were  full 
of  sick.  Toward  evening  I  saw  my  husband  com 
ing  home.  Then  I  forgot  all  my  sorrows,  and 
thanked  God  that  he  was  spared  to  me.  He  took 
me  aside  and  said  that  everything  was  going  badly, 
and  that  I  must  keep  myself  in  readiness  to  leave 
the  place,  but  not  to  mention  it  to  any  one. 

3.  "  About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  Gen 
eral  Fraser  died.     At  six  o'clock  the  corpse  was 
brought  out,  and  we  saw  all  the  generals  attend 
it  to  the  mountain.     The  chaplain,  Mr.  Brudenell, 
performed  the  funeral  service,  accompanied  by  con 
stant  peals  from  the  enemy's  artillery.     Many  can 
non  -  balls  flew  close  by  me,  and  I  had  my  eyes 
directed  toward  the  mountain  where  my  husband 
was  standing  amid  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and,  of 
course,  I  could  not  think  of  my  own  danger. 

4.  "About   two  o'clock   in  the  afternoon  we 
again  heard  a  firing  of  cannon  and  small-arms ;  in 
stantly  all  was  alarm,  and  everything  in  motion. 
My  husband  told  me  to  go  to  a  house  not  far  off ; 
but  scarcely  had  we  reached  it  before  I  discovered 
five  or  six  armed  men  on  the  other  side  of  the  Hud 
son.     Instinctively  I  threw  my  children  down  in 
the  calash,  and  then  concealed  myself  with  them. 
At  this  moment  the  fellows  fired,  and  wounded  an 


THE  BARONESS  E1EDESEL.  153 

already  wounded  English  soldier,  who  was  behind 
me.  Poor  fellow !  I  pitied  him  exceedingly,  but 
at  this  moment  had  no  power  to  relieve  him. 

5.  "  A  terrible  cannonade  was  commenced  by 
the  Americans  against  the  house  in  which  I  sought 
to  obtain  shelter  for  myself  and  children,  under  the 
mistaken   idea   that   all   the  generals  were  in  it. 
Alas  !  it  contained  none  but  wounded  and  women. 
We  were  obliged,  at  last,  to  resort  to  the  cellar  for 
refuge,  and  in  one  corner  of  this  I  remained  the 
whole  day,  my  children  sleeping  on  the  earth  with 
their  heads  in  my  lap.     In  this  situation  I  passed 
a   sleepless   night.     Eleven   cannon  -  balls  passed 
through  the  house,  and  we  could  distinctly  hear 
them  roll  away.     One  poor  soldier,  who  was  lying 
on  a  table  for  the  purpose  of  having  his  leg  ampu 
tated,  was  struck  by  a  shot  which  carried  away  the 
other. 

6.  "  My  reflections  on  the  danger  to  which  my 
husband  was  exposed  now  agonized  me  exceeding 
ly,  and  the  thoughts  of  my  children  alone  sustained 
me.     In  this  horrid  situation  we  remained  six  days. 
A  cessation  of  hostilities  was  now  spoken  of,  and 
afterward  took  place.     My  husband  sent  a  mes 
sage  to  me  to  come  over  to  him  with  my  children. 
I  seated  myself  once  more  in  my  dear  calash,  and 
then   rode   through   the  American   camp.     As   I 
passed  on  I  observed — and  this  was  a  great  consola- 


154  STORIES  OF  OUR  COUNTRY. 

tion  to  me — that  no  one  eyed  me  with,  looks  of  re 
sentment,  but  they  all  greeted  us,  and  even  showed 
compassion  in  their  countenances  at  the  sight  of  a 
woman  with  small  children.  I  was,  I  confess,  afraid 
to  go  over  to  the  enemy,  as  it  was  quite  a  new  sit 
uation  to  me. 

7.  "  When  I  drew  near  the  tents,  a  handsome 
man  approached  and  met  me,  took  my  children 
from  the  calash,  and  hugged  and  kissed  them,  which 
affected  me  almost  to  tears.  '  You  tremble,'  said 
he,  addressing  himself  to  me ;  '  be  not  afraid.' 
i  No,'  I  answered,  '  you  seem  so  kind  and  tender  to 
my  children  it  inspires  me  with  courage.'  He  now 
led  me  to  the  tent  of  General  Gates,  where  I  found 
Generals  Burgoyne  and  Phillips.  All  the  generals 
remained  to  dine  with  General  Gates.  The  same 
gentleman  who  received  me  so  kindly  now  came 
and  said  to  me  :  '  You  will  be  embarrassed  to  eat 
with  these  gentlemen  ;  come  with  your  children  to 
my  tent,  where  I  will  prepare  for  you  a  frugal  din 
ner,  and  give  it  with  a  free-will.'  I  said, '  You  are 
certainly  a  husband  and  a  father,  you  have  shown 
me  so  much  kindness.'  I  now  found  that  he  was 
General  Schuyler." 


ARNOLD  AND  ANDR&. 


155 


XXIX. 

ARNOLD    AND    ANDRE. 

1.  IN  1780  Benedict  Arnold,  who  had  in  many 
instances  during  the  war  proved  himself  a  brave 
soldier,  though  his  character  in  other  respects  had 
not  been  spotless,   had  charge  of  the   important 
fortress  at  West  Point  and  other  posts  command 
ing  the  Highlands.     On  these 

depended  the  communications 
between  the  different  portions 
of  the  army,  as  well  as  with 
the  country  northward,  from 
which  supplies  were  to  be 
drawn  for  its  use.  Arnold's 
capacity  as  a  soldier  could 
not  be  doubted,  and  no  one 
had  dreamed  that  the  faults 
of  his  private  character  were 
such  as  would  be  likely  to 
interfere  with  his  duty  as  a  military  commander. 
Love  of  money  and  selfishness  were  his  great 
faults,  and  they  were  particularly  odious  at  a  time 
when  so  many  men  were  periling  all  in  the  serv 
ice  of  their  country. 

2.  Arnold  had  been  brought  to  trial  for  some 
breach  of  trust,  while  in  command  at  Philadelphia, 


156  STORIES   Of    OUR    COUNTRY. 

after  General  Howe's  evacuation,  and  the  disgrace 
he  then  suffered  probably  rankled  in  his  mind.  It 
is  now  known  that  he  had  been  fifteen  months  in 
correspondence  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  of  the 
British  army,  with  a  view  of  betraying  his  coun 
try  ;  and  that  he  had  sought  the  command  at 
West  Point  and  its  dependencies  for  the  very  pur 
pose  of  doing  this  in  the  most  effectual  manner. 
General  Washington  had  gone  to  Hartford,  to  con 
fer  with  the  Count  de  Rochambeau,  who  had  just 
arrived  from  France  with  troops  for  the  service  of 
the  United  States.  General  Greene  was  left  in 
conjjiiand  during  Washington's  absence.  This  was 
judged  a  favorable  opportunity  for  putting  into 
operation  the  treacherous  scheme  which  had  been 
so  long  'plotting. 

3.  Arnold  had  arranged  with  Sir  Henry  Clin 
ton  that  the  agent  of  this  plot  should  be  Major 
Andre,  adjutant  -  general  of  the  British  army. 
Andre  did  not  seek  the  service,  though,  when  en 
gaged  in  it,  he  used  his  best  endeavors,  as  in  duty 
bound,  to  carry  out  its  objects.  Andre  came  up 
the  river  in  the  sloop-of-war  Vulture,  as  far  as 
Haverstraw  Bay,  and,  by  appointment  with  Ar 
nold,  landed  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  where 
the  traitor  awaited  him.  Arnold  had  engaged  a 
citizen,  by  the  name  of  Joshua  Smith,  to  conduct 
Andre  to  the  thick  bushes  in  which  he  w^as  con- 


ARNOLD  AND  ANDR& 


157 


cealed.  "  There  they  were  left  alone,  and  for  the 
first  time  the  conspirators  heard  each  other's 
voice ;  for  the  first  time  Arnold's  lips  uttered  au 
dibly  the  words  of  treason.  There,  in  the  gloom 
of  night,  hidden  from  all  human  eyes,  they  dis 
cussed  their  dark  plans,  and  plotted  the  utter  ruin 
of  the  patriot  cause.  The  hour  of  dawn  ap 
proached,  and  the  conference  was  yet  in  progress. 
Smith  came,  and  warned  them  of  the  necessity  for 
haste.  There  was  much  yet  to  do,  and  Andre  re 
luctantly  consented  to  mount  the  horse  ridden  by 
Arnold's  servant,  and  accompany  the  general  to 
Smith's  house,  nearly  four  miles  distant.  It  was 
yet  dark,  and  the  voice  of  a  sentinel,  near  the  vil 
lage  of  Haverstraw,  gave  Andre  the  first  intima 
tion  that  he 
was  within  the 
American  lines. 
He  felt  his  dan 
ger,  but  it  was 
too  late  to  re 
cede.  His  uni 
form  was  con 
cealed  by  a  long 

T  T  .  „  Arnold's  Headquarters,  opposite  West  Point. 

blue  surtout. 

40  They  arrived  at  Smith's  house  at  dawn,  and 
at  that  moment  they  heard  a  cannonade  in  the 
direction  of  the  Vulture.  This  movement  An- 


158  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

dre  witnessed  with  anxiety  ;  but  when  the  firing 
ceased,  his  spirits  revived.  During  that  morning 
the  whole  plot  was  arranged,  and  the  day  for  its 
consummation  fixed.  Andre  was  to  return  to 
New  York,  and  the  British  troops,  already  em 
barked  under  the  pretext  of  an  expedition  to  the 
Chesapeake,  were  to  be  ready  to  ascend  the  river 
at  a  moment's  warning.  Arnold  was  to  weaken 
the  various  posts  at  West  Point  by  dispersing  the 
garrisons.  When  the  British  should  appear,  he 
was  to  send  out  detachments  among  the  mount 
ain  gorges,  under  pretense  of  meeting  the  ene 
my,  as  they  approached,  at  a  distance  from  the 
works. 

5.  All  the  plans  being  arranged,  Arnold  sup 
plied  Andre  with  papers  explaining  the  military 
condition  of  West  Point  and  its  dependencies. 
These  he  requested  him  to  place  between  his 
stockings  and  feet,  and,  in  the  event  of  accident,  to 
destroy  them.  He  then  gave  him  a  pass,  and,  bid 
ding  Andre  adieu,  Arnold  went  up  the  river  in 
his  own  barge  to  headquarters,  fully  believing  that 
no  obstacle  lay  in  the  way  of  the  success  of  his 
wicked  scheme.  Andre  passed  the  remainder  of 
the  day  alone,  and,  as  soon  as  evening  came,  ap 
plied  to  Smith  to  take  him  back  to  the  Vulture. 
Smith  refused  this  request,  but  offered  to  ride  half 
the  night  with  Andre  on  horseback,  if  he  would 


ARNOLD  AND  ANDRE.  159 

take  the  land -route.     This  offer  Andre  was  com 
pelled  to  accept. 

6.  The    following    morning,    after    they    had 
parted,  Major  Andre  set  off  alone  on  horseback 
for  New  York,  and  while  on  his  way,  thinking 
himself  safe  under  the  disguise  of  "  John  Ander 
son,"  he  was  met  and  stopped  by  three  young  men 
of  the  militia,  who  searched  him,  and  found  papers 
in  his  boots.     These   papers   were  from  General 
Arnold,  and  contained  an  exact  account   of  the 
works  at  West  Point,  and  other  things  that  would 
be  of  advantage  to  the  enemy.     The  young  men 
committed  their  prisoner  to  the  custody  of  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Jameson,    who,   completely    bewil 
dered,  sent  a  messenger  to  Arnold,  informing  him 
of  the  capture. 

7.  Poor  Andre  behaved  like  a  man  through  all 
the  sad  scenes   that  followed.      His  accomplish 
ments,    his    amiable    character,    and   his   graceful 
manners,  excited  universal  interest,   and   nothing 
was   left   untried   to   save   him.     It  is  said    that 
Washington  even  tried  to  have  Arnold  taken  from 
the  hands  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  order  that  he 
might  be  able   to  send  back  Andre  in  exchange. 
The  last  request  of  the  gallant  officer  was  that  he 
might   be   spared   the   rope,  and  die   a   soldier's 
death.     But  even  this  the  stern  laws  of  war  for 
bade.     A  court-martial  sentenced  him,  and  Wash- 

11 


160  STORIES  OF   OUR   COUNTRY. 

ington  signed  the  death  -  warrant.  Mr.  Sparks 
says :  "  There  was  no  stronger  trait  in  the  char 
acter  of  Washington  than  humanity ;  the  misfor 
tunes  and  sufferings  of  others  touched  him  keenly ; 
and  his  feelings  were  deeply  moved  at  the  part  he 
was  compelled  to  act  in  consenting  to  the  death  of 
Andre."  The  fate  of  Arnold  is  well  known.  The 
letter  from  Colonel  Jameson  gave  him  sufficient 
warning  to  make  good  his  escape. 

Mrs.  Kirkland. 


XXX. 

CHAMPE, 

1.  THE  strong  feeling  of  sympathy  for  Andre 
was  equaled  by  an  intense  hatred  for  Arnold,  and 
Washington  cherished  an  ardent  desire  to  capture 
and  punish  this  arch-traitor.  To  accomplish  this 
wish  he  called  to  his  aid  Major  Henry  Lee,  the 
commander  of  a  brave  legion  of  cavalry.  Lee 
named  John  Champe,  the  sergeant-major  of  his 
corps,  as  every  way  qualified  for  this  service,  and 
accordingly  communicated  to  this  soldier  the 
wishes  of  Washington.  Champe  was  reluctant 
to  undertake  the  hazardous  enterprise,  not  so  much 
from  the  personal  risk  involved,  as  on  account  of 


CHAMPE.  1T,1 

the  dishonor  that  might  be  attached  to  him  for 
deserting  to  the  enemy. 

2.  At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  command- 
er-in-chief,   he   finally  consented,  and  during  the 
afternoon   he  made  preparation  to  escape  in  the 
night.     The   camp   was   several   miles   from   the 
Hudson,  where  lay  a  British  man-of-war.     In  the 
middle  of  the  night  the  officer  of  the  guard  re 
ported  to  Major  Lee  that  one  of  the  men  had  ap 
proached  the  lines,  and,  when  challenged,  he  had 
put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  escaped.     The  major 
said  that  probably  the  guard  had  mistaken  a  coun 
tryman  for  one  of  the  soldiers,  but  at  last  began 
to  issue  orders  to  have  the  troops  mustered.    Soon 
word  was  returned  that  Champe  was  missing,  and 
a  party  was  organized  to  go  in  pursuit.     After  as 
long  a  delay  as  he  dared  without  exciting  suspi 
cion,  Major  Lee  gave  final  orders  to  Lieutenant 
Middleton,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the  pursuers' 
party.     "  Bring  him  in  alive,  if  possible,"  said  he, 
u  but  shoot  him  if  he  resists." 

3.  With  nearly  an  hour's  start,  Champe  pur 
sued  his  way  at  a  rapid  gait  toward  the  river. 
During  the  darkness  the  pursuers  were  obliged  to 
stop  every  little  while  to  examine  the  tracks,  so 
as  to  be  sure  of  taking  the  right  road,  and  so  were 
delayed.     In  the  morning  the  tracks  were  plainly 
visible,  and  they  rapidly  gained  ground.     A  little 


CHAMPS.  163 

after  daylight,  Champe,  upon  reaching  the  summit 
of  a  hill,  looked  back  and  saw  his  pursuers.  He 
immediately  dashed  on  at  full  speed.  Swift  was 
the  night,  and  swift  the  pursuit.  From  the  top 
of  the  last  hill  overlooking  the  Hudson,  Champe 
made  motions  to  the  British  ship,  and  a  boat  was 
sent  out  to  his  assistance.  Finding  his  pursuers 
close  upon  him,  he  seized  his  portmanteau  and 
plunged  into  the  river.  The  pursuers  were  checked 
by  firing  from  the  boat,  but  Champe's  horse  was 
captured  and  taken  back  to  camp.  This  led  the 
soldiers  to  cry  out,  "  The  scoundrel  is  killed  !  the 
scoundrel  is  killed  ! "  And  for  a  few  minutes 
Major  Lee  was  in  agony  lest  his  faithful  and  in 
trepid  sergeant  had  met  with  a  tragic  end.  The 
report  of  Lieutenant  Middleton,  however,  reas 
sured  him,  and  he  patiently  awaited  results. 

4.  In  the  mean  time   Champe  was  taken  on 
board  the  British  ship,  and  afterward  sent  to  New 
York.     No  one  questioned  the  genuineness  of  the 
desertion,  for  his  rapid  flight  and  plunge  in  the 
water,  had  been  witnessed  by  all  on  board  the  ship. 
He  was  asked  to  enlist  in  the  British  service,  and 
he  promised  to  give  an  answer  after  a  few  days' 
rest.     He  was  soon  in  communication  with  the 
secret  spies  of  Washington  who  resided  in  New 
York,  and  a  plan  of  action  speedily  arranged. 

5.  For  several  weeks  Arnold  had  been  strictly 


164  STORIES  OF  OUR  COUNTRY. 

watched.  It  was  well  known  that  he  was  prepar 
ing  to  head  an  expedition  about  to  sail,  but  the 
destination  of  which  was  still  a  secret.  A  large 
garden  was  attached  to  the  house  where  the  gen 
eral  had  his  quarters,  and  here  every  night  he 
spent  an  hour  in  walking  before  retiring.  The 
plan  was  as  follows :  A  board  was  loosened  in  the 
garden  fence,  which  opened  into  an  unfrequented 
lane.  Through  this  opening  Champe  and  his  aids 
were  to  enter  the  garden  and  secrete  themselves. 
At  a  given  signal  a  blanket  was  to  be  thrown  over 
Arnold's  head,  completely  stifling  his  voice.  He 
was  then  to  be  carried  through  back  streets  to  the 
river,  where  a  boat  was  in  readiness  to  take  him 
to  the  Jersey  shore.  Should  they  be  challenged 
by  a  sentinel  on  the  way,  they  would  claim  that 
they  were  taking  a  drunken  soldier  to  the  guard 
house. 

6.  The  night  was  agreed  upon,  and  everything 
was  in  readiness.  Major  Lee  sent  a  party  with 
led-horses  to  receive  Champe  and  his  prisoner 
from  the  boat.  Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  no 
boat  appeared.  The  officer  in  charge  anxiously 
waited  till  the  break  of  day,  and  then  he  reluct 
antly  gave  orders  to  retreat,  lest  the  party  should 
attract  the  attention  of  the  enemy.  The  failure 
was  the  result  of  a  mere  accident.  On  the  very 
day  fixed  for  the  enterprise  Arnold  changed  his 


CHAMPE.  165 

quarters  to  a  place  where  he  could  more  conven 
iently  superintend  the  embarkation  of  his  troops ; 
and  Champe,  who  had  enlisted,  found  himself  on 
shipboard.  Here  he  remained  until  the  forces 
landed  in  Virginia,  and  then  he  again  deserted  and 
made  his  way  to  the  American  lines. 

7.  Great  was  the  astonishment  of  his  old  com 
panions  at  his  reappearance,  and  it  was  still  greater 
when  they  saw  how  cordially  he  was  received  by 
Major  Lee.  The  story  of  his  adventures  was 
soon  known,  and  he  became  the  hero  of  the  camp. 
Knowing  that  he  would  be  hanged  if  captured  by 
the  enemy,  he  received  an  honorable  discharge 
from  the  army  and  a  handsome  reward  for  his 
services.  Seventeen  years  later  Washington  sought 
him  for  the  purpose  of  bestowing  upon  him  a  com 
mission,  but  it  was  found  that  the  gallant  soldier 
had  moved  to  the  wilds  of  Kentucky,  and  was 
asleep  in  her  soil.  The  failure  to  capture  Arnold 
sealed  the  fate  of  Andre,  as  Washington  had  now 
no  pretext  for  interfering  with  the  due  process  of 
military  law. 


166  STORIES  Of   OUR   COUNTRY. 

XXXI. 

STONY    POINT. 

1.  ON  the  night  of  May  31,  1779,  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  sailed  up  the  Hudson  with  several  ships- 
of-war  and  a  lar^e  force.     He  sent  General  Vaughn 

o 

with  troops  to  the  east  shore.  Both  started  at 
midnight,  Clinton  to  take  Stony  Point,  Vaughn  to 
take  Fort  Lafayette.  The  twenty  men  at  Stony 
Point  discovered  Clinton's  approach,  and  fled.  Sir 
Henry  took  possession  of  the  fort,  turned  his  guns 
upon  Lafayette,  and  the  seventy  men  had  to  sur 
render,  for  General  Vaughn  had  cut  off  their  re 
treat. 

2.  Having  captured  the  forts,  Clinton  set  his 
soldiers  to  work  to  make  Stony  Point  a  formida 
ble  fortress,  which  was  not  a  difficult  matter,  for 
the  Point  was  a  rocky  hill  projecting  into  the  river, 
with  a  marsh  behind,  over  which  the  tide  flowed, 
and  which  was  crossed  by  a  causeway  and  bridge. 
All  communication  between  New  England  and  the 
other  colonies  was  nowr  at  West  Point  or  above, 
which  was  a  great  inconvenience  to  Washington, 
who    wished,  if   possible,  to    gain   possession   of 
King's  Ferry  once  more.     But  he  had  no  troops  to 
spare  to  make  a  regular  attack.     If  captured  at  all, 
it  must  be  by  a  surprise. 


oV5*  S 

srazvr  POINT.  167 

3.  There  was  one  general  in  the  army  who  was 
well  fitted  to  attempt  the  capture  of  Stony  Point 
by  such  a  movement — the  general  who,  when  a 
school-boy,  was  always  building  forts,  and  marshal 
ling  his  playmates ;  neglecting  his  studies  until  his 
good  old  uncle,  who  was  educating  him,  gave  up 
in  despair  of  his  ever  being  a  scholar.     This  was 
General  Wayne — u  Mad    Anthony  "   the  soldiers 
called  him,  because  he  was  terribly  in  earnest  about 
what  he  undertook. 

4.  General  Washington  met  General  Wayne  at 
Sandy  Beach,  fourteen  miles   from  Stony  Point, 
to  talk  over  the    matter.     Wayne  was  ready  to 
undertake  such  an  enterprise.     "  I'll  storm  hell, 
general,  if  you  will  only  plan  it ! "  said  Wayne. 
"  Hadn't  we  better  try  Stony  Point  first  ? "  Wash 
ington  replied.     This  was  the  plan  :  To  make  a 
night-march ;  the  men  with  their  muskets  unload 
ed,  to  cross  the  marsh  at  low  tide  ;  a  party  in  ad 
vance  with  axes  to  clear  away  the  abattis  ;  the  sol 
diers  to  wear  white  cockades,  to  distinguish  one 
another  in  the  darkness,  and  rush  with  fixed  bay 
onets  into  the  fort. 

5.  General  Wayne  and  Colonel  Febiger  recon- 
noitered  the   fort.      A  deserter  informed  General 
Wayne  in  regard  to  its  construction,  and  how  the 
cannon  were  placed.     General  Wayne  selected  his 
troops,  and  thought  out  his  plan  of  attack,  but 


168  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

kept  his  plan  to  himself.  At  twelve  o'clock  on 
the  15th  of  July,  a  hot  summer  day,  General 
Wayne  starts  with  his  troops — three  regiments  of 
Continental  light-infantry.  He  moves  along  nar 
row  roads — so  narrow  and  rocky  and  uneven,  that 
the  men  march  some  of  the  way  in  single  file. 

6.  The  sun  goes  down  and  the  twilight  comes 
on.     At  eis;ht  o'clock  the  head  of  the  column  is  at 

o 

Mr.  Springstreet's,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  fort. 
No  man  is  allowed  to  speak.  In  silence  the  men 
march,  in  silence  they  come  into  line,  throw  them 
selves  upon  the  ground,  and  eat  their  supper  of 
bread  and  cold  meat.  General  Wayne  forms  his 
men  into  two  columns.  The  right  column  contains 
Febiger's  and  Meigs's  regiments  and  Major  Hull's 
battalion ;  Colonel  Butler's  and  Major  Murfry's 
troops  compose  the  other.  General  Wayne  will 
command  the  right,  and  Colonel  Butler  the  left. 
The  men  do  not  know  what  they  are  to  do.  Up 
to  this  time,  Wayne  has  kept  the  plan  to  himself 
and  his  chief  officers.  He  orders  each  soldier  to 
pin  a  piece  of  white  paper  to  his  hat.  They  will 
be  able  by  that  to  distinguish  friend  from  foe. 

7.  "  We  are  going  to  attack  the  fort,"  he  said, 
"  and  the  first  man  inside  of  it  shall  have  five  hun 
dred  dollars,  and  immediate  promotion  ;  the  sec 
ond,  four  hundred  ;  the  third,  three  hundred  ;  the 
fourth,  two  hundred ;  the  fifth,  one  hundred.     If 


STONY  POINT.  169 

any  of  you  are  so  lost  to  the  sense  of  honor  as  to 
attempt  to  retreat  or  skulk,  any  officer  is  author 
ized  to  put  you  to  death.  I  shall  share  the  dan 
gers  with  you.  This  is  the  watchword,  '  Tliefort 
is  our  mvn  !  ' 

8.  Till  half-past  eleven  the  men  rest ;  and  the 
brave  general,  having  matured  all  his  plans,  writes 
a  letter  to  a  friend  in  Philadelphia,  asking  him  to 
take  care  of  his  young  children  if  he  falls  in  the 
assault.     This  done,  the  columns  in  silence  move 
toward  the  fort.     A  picket  stands  at  the  top  of 
the  hill  south  of  the  bridge.     Two  men  approach 
him  stealthily,  and  before  he  can  give  an  alarm  he 
is  a  prisoner.     A  moment  later,  and  the  cannon 
are  flashing.     On   through  the   water,  across  the 
miry  marsh,  to  the  hill,  the  troops  move  with  un 
loaded  muskets.     The  bayonet  is  to  win  the  vic 
tory.    Some  fall,  never  more  to  rise  ;  but  the  others 
work  on,  cutting  away  the  timbers.     They  make 
an  opening,  and  the  column,  like  water  pouring 
through  a  mill-race,  rushes  through. 

9.  A  few  minutes  of   hard    work  then,  with 
the  bullets  falling  like  hail  about  them,  and  the 
men  are  streaming  through  the   second  opening, 
and  forming  to  rush  upon  the  batteries.     A  shot 
strikes  the  brave  leader.     He  falls,  with  the  warm 
blood  streaming  over  his  face.     "  Forward  !    for 
ward  !    Carry  me  into  the  fort ;  let  me  die  there  ! " 


170  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

lie  shouts.  On,  over  rocks  and  fallen  trees,  led  by 
Fleury  and  Febiger,  rush  the  men,  to  avenge  the 
fall  of  their  leader.  "  The  fort  is  our  own  ! "  Feb 
iger  shouts.  It  goes  up  from  five  hundred  voices. 
Nothing  can  resist  the  furious  assault.  Over  on 
the  left,  Butler  is  sweeping  over  the  breastworks. 
"  The  fort  is  our  own  !  "  is  the  answering  cry,  ring 
ing  out  over  the  hills. 


XXXII. 

YORKTOWN. 

1.  THE  year  1781  opened  with  brighter  pros 
pects  for   the  American  cause  than  that  of  any 
year  since  the  beginning  of  the  war.     The  British 
force    in  the    North,  under  Sir    Henry  Clinton, 
still  held  possession  of  New  York,  but  it  was  so 
hemmed  in  and  so  closely  watched  that  any  raid 
by  land  was  impossible.     Their  only  way  to  move 
was  by  water,  and,  during  the  previous  year,  sev 
eral   expeditions  had  been  fitted  out  which  had 
burned  some  of  the  smaller  places  along  the  coast, 
but  which  had  done  nothing  to  decide  the  fate  of 
the  war. 

2.  But,  while  Sir  Henry  held  New  York,  the 


YORKTOWN. 

terrible  Cornwallis  was  ravaging  the  South.  Four 
years  ago  they  had  learned,  by  the  fate  of  Bur- 
goyne,  that  there  was  danger  in  trying  to  march 
through  the  Northern  provinces,  and  they  next 
turned  their  attention  to  the  more  sparsely-settled 
regions  of  South  Carolina.  The  State  was  soon 
overrun,  and  Georgia  shared  the  same  fate.  Gen 
eral  Gates,  the  conqueror  of  Burgoyne,  hastened 
South,  but  his  army  was  defeated  and  nearly  an 
nihilated  at  Camdeu.  The  arrogant  British  com 
mander  evidently  thought  that  the  rebellion  was 
nearly  over,  and  that  he  was  the  appointed  instru 
ment  to  finish  it. 

3.  Only  two  things  now  stood  in  the  way  of 
his  complete  success :  Marion — the  "  Swamp-Fox," 
as  he  was  called — kept  up  a  partisan  warfare  in 
South  Carolina,    keeping   the   British   constantly 
annoyed,  cutting  off  their  supplies  and  capturing 
raiding  parties.     Then   General  Greene  advanced 
from  the  North,  with  an  army  that  often  suffered 
defeat,  but  which  Cornwallis  found  so  formidable 
that  after  each  victory  he  felt  obliged  to  retreat, 
leaving  the  battle-field  finally  in  the  possession  of 
his  adversary. 

4.  Leaving  his  plans  half  executed  in  the  Car- 
olinas,  Cornwallis    resolved    to   invade    what    he 
termed  "the  opulent  province  of  Virginia."     In 
May  he  began  his  march  from  Wilmington,  North 


172  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

Carolina,  and  on  the  20th  of  that  month  he  reached 
Petersburg.  A  force  under  Lafayette  was  too 
small  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  advancing  Brit 
ish,  and  at  one  time  it  seemed  that  Virginia  would 
be  overcome  as  the  Carolinas  had  been  the  year 
before.  Greene  was  busy  in  reconquering  the 
South,  and  Washington  was  preparing  to  invest 
New  York,  and  so  Lafayette  could  expect  no  aid 
from  either  of  them. 

5.  Two   unexpected    obstacles   were   now  en 
countered  by  the  British  commander.     Lafayette 
was  re-enforced  by  a  thousand  Pennsylvanians  un 
der  General  Wayne,  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton  gave 
peremptory  orders  to  send  forward  three  thousand 
men  to  assist  in  the  defense  of  New  York.     Corn- 
wallis  reluctantly  obeyed,  and  turned  his  army 
from  the  path  of  victory  in  Central  Virginia  down 
the  peninsula,  so  as  to  reach  a  point  on  the  bay 
where  he  could   be   in  communication  with   his 
ships.     He   reached   Yorktown   during   the   first 
week  in  August,  where  he  went  into  camp,  strong 
ly  intrenched  himself,  and  awaited  events. 

6.  Washington  in  the  mean  time  was  preparing 
to  attack  Sir  Henry  Clinton  at  New  York.     A 
large  French  fleet  under  the  Count  de  Grasse  was 
expected  to  appear  off  New  York  Harbor  about 
the  1st  of  September,  when  the  final  assault  was 
to  be  made.     But,  on  the   14th  of  August,  the 


YORKTO  WN.  173 

news  came  that  the  destination  of  De  Grasse  was 
the  Chesapeake  instead  of  New  York.  Washing 
ton  immediately  changed  his  own  plans  so  as  to 
co-operate  with  his  allies.  He  issued  his  orders, 
and  soon  his  whole  army  was  in  light  marching 
order  on  their  way  south.  So  quietly  was  this 
done  that  Clinton  never  knew  the  American  army 
was  in  motion  until  they  were  near  the  point  of 
their  destination,  and  it  was  too  late  to  impede 
their  march.  On  the  27th  of  September  the  army 
had  concentrated,  and,  in  co-operation  with  the 
French  fleet,  sat  down  to  the  siege  of  Yorktown. 

7.  Cornwallis   scuttled   his   ships,  to   prevent 
them  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  but 
prepared  for  a  most  vigorous  defense.     Washing 
ton  was  anxious  to  press  the  siege,  for  almost  any 
day  a  British  fleet  might  be  expected,  which  would 
drive  De  Grrasse  away.    Besides,  he  wished  to  take 
advantage  of  the  enthusiasm  of  the  troops  at  the 
prospect  they  had  of  speedily  capturing  the  hated 
Cornwallis. 

8.  On  the  night  of  the  14th  of  October  a  com 
bined  attack  was  made  upon  the  works  of  the 
enemy.     The   place    was   bravely   defended,   but 
nothing  could  resist  the  desperate  assault  of  the 
French  and  American  troops.     Under  a  furious 
fire  of   grape  and   canister,  they  charged  across 
the  open  space  before  the  town,  climbed  the  para- 


174  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

pets,  and  engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand  conflict  with 
the  best  and  the  bravest  of  Cornwallis's  army. 
The  French  saw  with  amazement  that  the  rude 
peasant  soldiery  of  the  Western  wilds,  in  discipline, 
valor,  and  achievement,  was  equal  to  the  trained 
battalions  of  Europe ;  and  the  Americans  viewed 
the  skill  and  courage  of  their  allies  with  ever-in 
creasing  respect.  The  outposts  were  won,  and  the 
British  position  was  rendered  untenable.  Nothing 
remained  but  to  retreat  or  to  surrender.  But 
Washington  has  so  ordered  his  army  that  retreat 
was  impossible. 

9.  On  the  17th  of  October,  the  anniversary  of 
the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  as  the  allied  armies 
were  about  to  recommence  the  assault,  a  flag  of 
truce  made  its  appearance,  asking  a  cessation  of 
hostilities  with  a  view  to  surrender.     Two  days 
after  (October  19th),  Cornwallis's  whole  force  of 
more  than  seven  thousand  men  marched  out  and 
laid  down  their  arms. 

10.  The  scene  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten  in 
the  history  of  America.     The  day  was  bright  with, 
autumnal  sunshine.     The  officers  of  three  nations 
were  present  dressed  in  their  finest  uniforms.    The 
buff  and  blue  of  Washington  and  his  companions 
compared  well  with  the  gayer  colors  of  the  French 
and  the  deep  scarlet  of  the  English.     In  the  pres 
ence  of  the  assembled  allies  the  British  troops 


YORKTOWN.  175 

marched  out  in  continuous  columns  and  stacked 
their  arms.  Their  labor  and  danger  were  over  for 
the  present,  and  they  could  rest,  and  so  a  feeling 
of  satisfaction  mitigated  the  chagrin  of  defeat. 

o  o 

Not  so'  the  officers ;  their  faces  plainly  showed 
their  bitter  disappointment  at  a  situation  so  strange 
and  unexpected. 

11.  On  the  part  of  the  allies  all  was  serene. 
On  the  one  side  was  the  majestic  figure  of  Wash 
ington,  with    his   military   family   and   principal 
officers  by  his  side.      Lafayette,  Steuben,  Knox, 
Wayne,  Hamilton,  Lincoln,  all  were  there.     Op 
posite  them,  dressed  in  the  gorgeous  uniform  of 
the  Grand  Empire,  were  De  Grasse,  Rochanibeau, 
and  their  companions.     Back  of  the  officers  were 
drawn  up  the  serried  ranks  of  the  allied  armies. 
As  the  British  columns  made  their  appearance, 
they  were  received  in  silence,  and  not  one  word 
of  triumph  was  uttered  to  add  to  the  humiliation 
of  the  foe ;  but  every  countenance  shone  with  a 
luster  born  of  the  thought  of  the  hardships  en 
dured,  the  victory  achieved,  and  of  the  beloved 
homes  which  might  now  be  sought  after  eight 
weary  years  in  camp  and  field. 

12,  Cornwallis,  unable  to  bear  the  humiliation 
of  the  scene,  kept  his  tent,  and  commissioned  Gen 
eral  O'Hara  to  represent  him  on  the  momentous 
occasion.     Upon   the  presentation  of   the  sword 

12 


176 


STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


sent  by  Cornwallis  as  a  token  of  liis  surrender, 
Washington  waved  his  hand  that  it  might  be  given 


to  General  Lincoln,  in 
retaliation  of  a  like  hu 
miliation  put  upon  Lin 
coln  the  year  before  at 
the  surrender  of  Savannah.  But  at  last  the  pa 
geant  was  over,  the  prisoners  secured,  and  the  day 
spent — and  the  War  of  the  Revolution  was  prac 
tically  ended. 

13.  And  well  may  Washington  rejoice  !     His 
military  policy  had  been  successful,  and  his  last 


PERRY  AND  LAKE  ERIE.  177 

strategy  was  crowned  with  final  victory.  Hence 
forth  he  is  to  be  ranked  among  the  great  military 
commanders  of  the  age.  With  retrospect  he  traced 
all  those  weary  years  from  Bunker  Hill  to  York- 
town,  and  with  prophetic  vision  he  saw,  as  a 
consequence,  stretching  across  a  continent  a  coun 
try  smiling  in  peace  and  plenty,  the  home  of 
freemen,  and  the  refuge  of  the  oppressed  of  all 
lands.  No  thought  of  personal  ambition  or  ag 
grandizement  served  to  mar  the  beauty  of  this 
vision,  and  the  tired  soldier  gladly  relinquished 
almost  unlimited  power,  and  retired  to  his  unpre 
tending  and  beloved  home  at  Mount  Vernon. 


XXXIII. 
PERRY  AND  LAKE   ERIE, 

1.  THE  War  of  1812  was  a  second  struggle  of 
the  United  States  to  complete  their  independence 
of  British  rule  and  interference.  In  this  war  the 
opposing  forces  were  often  brought  into  action  on 
the  seas  and  lakes.  One  of  the  gallant  command 
ers  was  Captain  Lawrence,  of  the  Chesapeake,  who 
had  engaged  with  the  British  ship  Shannon  off  the 
harbor  of  Boston  on  June  5, 1813.  In  this  encoun- 


178 


STORIES   OF    OUR   COUNTRY. 


ter  Lawrence  was  killed  by  a  musket-ball,  and  his 
last  words  were,  "  Don't  give  up  the  ship  !  "  Three 
months  later  occurred  the  bat 
tle  of  Lake  Erie,  in  which  Com 
modore  Perry  proved  himself 
to  be  one  of  the  bravest  of 
American  heroes,  as  will  appear 
by  some  extracts  from  the  de 
scription  of  this  battle  by  B.  J. 
Lossing,  the  historian: 

2.  "  '  Sail  ho  ! '  were  the 
stirring  words  that  rang  out 
loud  and  clear  from  the  mast 
head  of  the  Lawrence  on  the  warm  and  pleasant 
morning  of  the  10th  of  September,  1813.  That 
herald's  proclamation  was  not  unexpected  to  Perry. 
Day  after  day,  from  the  rocky  heights  of  Gibraltar 
Island,  now  known  as  '  Perry's  Lookout,'  he  had 
pointed  his  glass  anxiously  in  the  direction  of  Mai 
den.  On  the  evening  of  the  9th  he  called  around 
him  the  officers  of  his  squadron,  and  gave  instruc 
tions  to  each  in  writing,  for  he  was  determined  to 
attack  the  enemy  at  his  anchorage  the  next  day  if 
he  did  not  come  out.  To  each  vessel  its  antagonist 
on  the  British  side  was  assigned,  the  size  and  charac 
ter  of  them  having  been  communicated  to  him  by 
Captain  Brevoort,  whose  family  lived  in  Detroit. 
The  Lawrence  was  assigned  to  the  Detroit;  the 


PERRY  AND  LAKE  ERIE.  17Q 

Niagara  to  the  Queen  Charlotte,  and  so  on ;  and 
to  each  officer  he  said  in  substance,  l  Engage  your 
antagonist  in  close  action,  keeping  on  the  line  at 
half-cable  length  from  the  vessel  of  our  squadron 
ahead  of  you.' 

3.  "It  was  about  ten  o'clock  when  the  confer 
ence  ended.     The  moon  was  at  its  full,  and  it  was 
a  spendid  autumn  night.     Just  before  they  parted, 
Perry  brought  out  a  large  square  battle-flag,  which, 
at   his   request,  Mr.  Hambleton,  the  purser,  had 
caused  to  be  privately  prepared  at  Erie.     It  was 
blue,  and  bore  in  large  letters,  made  of  white  mus 
lin,  the  dying  words  of  the  gallant  commander  of 
the  Chesapeake,  *  Don't  give  up  the  ship  ! '    l  When 
this  flag  shall  be  hoisted  to  the  main-royal  mast 
head,'  said  the  commodore, l  it  shall  be  your  signal 
for  going  into  action.'    As  the  officers  were  leaving, 
he  said :  i  Gentlemen,  remember  your  instructions. 
Nelson  has  expressed  my  ideas  in  the  words,  "If 
you  lay  your  enemy  close  alongside,  you  can  not  be 
out  of  your  place."     Good-night.' 

4,  "  The  cry  of  '  Sail  ho ! '  was  soon  followed 
by  signals  to  the  fleet  of  '  Enemy  in  sight ! '     '  Get 
under  way ! '     and  the  voices   of   the  boatswains 
sounding  through  the  squadron  and  echoing  from 
the  shores  the  command,  'All  hands  up  anchor, 
ahoy ! '     At  sunrise  the  British  vessels  were  all 
seen  upon  the  northwestern  horizon— 


180  STORIES  OF  OUR    COUNTRY. 

'Six  barks  trained  for  battle,  the  red  flag  displaying, 
By  Barclay  commanded,  their  wings  wide  outspread, 

Forsake  their  stronghold,  on  broad  Erie  essaying 
To  meet  with  that  foe  they  so  lately  did  dread !' 

Old  Ballad. 

5.  "  At  a  little  past  ten  o'clock  Perry's  line  was 
formed  according  to  the  plan  arranged  the  previous 
evening,  the  Niagara  in  the  van.     The  Lawrence 
was  cleared  for  action,  and  the  battle-flag  bearing 
the  words  i  Don't  give  up  the  ship  ! '  in  letters  large 
enough  to  be  seen  by  the  whole  squadron,  was 
brought  out  and  displayed.     The  commodore  then 
addressed  his  officers  and  crew  a  few  stirring  words, 
and  concluded  by  saying :   i  My  brave  lads,  this 
flag  contains  the  last  words   of  Captain  Lawrence. 
Shall  I  hoist  it  ? '    '  Ay,  ay,  sir  ! '    they  all  shouted, 
as  with  one  voice,  and  in  a  moment  it  was  run  up 
the  main -royal  mast-head  of  the  flag-ship,  amid 
cheer  after  cheer,  not  only  from  the  Lawrence  but 
from  the  whole  squadron.     It  was  the  signal  for 
battle. 

6.  "  The  sun  was  within  fifteen  minutes  of  the 
meridian  when  the  bugle  sounded  on  board  the 
Detroit  as  a  signal  for  action,  and  the  bands  of  the 
British  squadron  struck  up  'Rule  Britannia.'     A 
shout  went  up  from  that  little  squadron,  and  a 
twenty-four-pounder  shot   from  the  enemy's  flag 
ship  was  sent  booming  over  the  waters  toward  the 


PERRY  AND  LAKE  ERIE.  181 

Lawrence,  then  a  mile  and  a  half  distant.  It  was 
evident  that  Barclay  appreciated  the  advantage  of 
his  long  guns  and  wished  to  fight  at  a  distance, 
while  Perry  resolved  to  press  to  close  quarters  be 
fore  opening  his  fire. 

7.  "  That  first  shot  from  the  enemy  fell  short. 
Another,  five  minutes  later,  went  crashing  through 
the  bulwarks  of  the   Lawrence.     It  stirred   the 
blood  of  her  gallant  men,  but,  at  the  command  of 
Perry,  she  remained  silent.     '  Steady,  boys,  steady! ' 
he  said,  while  his  dark  eye  flashed  with  the  excite 
ment  of  the  moment — an  excitement  which  was 
half   smothered   by   his   judgment.      Slowly   the 
American  line,  with  the  light  wind  abeam,  moved 
toward  that  of  the  enemy,  the  two  forming  an 
acute  angle  of  about  fifteen  degrees : 

'  Sublime  the  pause,  when  down  the  gleaming  tide 
The  virgin  galleys  to  the  conflict  glide  ; 
The  very  wind,  as  if  in  awe  or  grief, 
Scarce  makes  a  ripple  or  disturbs  a  leaf.' 

Tuckerman. 

Signals  were  given  for  each  vessel  to  engage  its 
antagonist.  The  battle  now  began  on  the  part  of 
the  Americans. 

8.  "  Perry  soon  perceived  that  he  was  too  far 
distant  to   damage  the   enemy  materially,  so   he 
ordered  word  to  be  sent  from  vessel  to  vessel,  by 
trumpet,  for  all  to  make  sail,  bear  down  upon  Bar- 


182  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

clay,  and  engage  in  close  combat.  The  order  was 
transmitted  by  Lieutenant  Elliott,  who  was  sec 
ond  in  command,  but  he  failed  to  obey  it  himself. 
For  two  hours  the  gallant  Perry  and  his  devoted 
ship  bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle  with  twice  his 
force,  aided  only  by  the  schooners  on  his  weather- 
bow  and  some  feeble  shots  from  the  distant  Cale 
donia  when  she  could  spare  them  from  her  ad 
versary  the  Hunter.  During  that  tempest  of  war 
his  vessel  was  terribly  shattered.  Her  rigging 
was  nearly  all  shot  away ;  her  sails  were  torn  into 
shreds;  her  spars  were  battered  into  splinters; 
her  guns  were  dismounted.  The  carnage  on  her 
deck  had  been  terrible.  Out  of  one  hundred  and 
three  sound  men,  twenty-two  were  slain  and  sixty- 
one  were  wounded. 

9.  "  He  had  fought  as  long  as  possible.  More 
than  two  hours  had  worn  away  in  the  conflict. 
His  vessel  lay  helpless  and  silent  upon  the  almost 
unruffled  bosom  of  the  lake.  His  last  effective 
heavy  gun  had  been  fired  by  himself,  assisted  by 
his  purser  and  chaplain.  Only  fourteen  persons 
remained  on  his  deck,  and  only  nine  of  these  were 
seamen.  A  less  hopeful  man  would  have  pulled 
down  his  flag  in  despair ;  but  Perry's  spirit  was 
too  lofty  to  be  touched  by  common  misfortunes. 
From  his  mast-head  floated  the  admonition,  as  if 
audibly  spoken  by  the  brave  Lawrence,  '  Don't 


PERRY  AND  LAKE  ERIE. 


183 


give  up  the  ship.'  The  Niagara  was  stanch, 
swift,  and  apparently  unhurt,  for  she  had  kept 
far  away  from  danger.  He  determined  to  fly  to 
her  deck,  spread  all  needful  sail  to  catch  the 
stiffening  breeze,  bear  down  swift  upon  the  crip 
pled  enemy,  break  his  line,  and  make  a  bold 
stroke  for  victory. 

10.  "  With  the  calmness  of  perfect  assurance, 
Perry  laid  aside  his  blue  nankeen  sailor's  jacket 


Perry  leaving  his  Flag-ship. 

which  he  had  worn  all 
day,  and  put    on   the 
uniform  of    his    rank, 
as  if   conscious  that  he  should  secure  a  victory. 


184-  STORIES  OF  OUR  COUNTRY. 

'  Yarnall,'  lie  said,  1 1  leave  the  Lawrence  in  your 
charge,  with  discretionary  powers.'  He  had  al 
ready  ordered  his  boat  to  be  lowered,  his  broad 
pennant,  and  the  banner  with  its  glorious  words, 
to  be  taken  down,  but  leaving  the  stars  and  stripes 
floating  defiantly  over  the  battered  hulk.  With 
these,  his  little  brother,  and  four  stout  seamen 
for  the  oars,  he  started  upon  his  perilous  voyage, 
anxiously  watched  by  Yarnall  and  his  companions. 
1 1.  "  He  stood  upright  in  his  boat,  the  pennant 
and  the  banner  half  folded  around  him,  a  mark 
for  the  anxious  eyes  of  his  own  men  and  for  the 
guns  of  the  enemy.  The  latter  discovered  the 
movement.  Barclay,  who  \vas  badly  wounded, 
and  whose  flag-ship  was  almost  dismantled,  wrell 
knew  that,  if  Perry  should  tread  the  quarter-deck 
of  the  fresh  Niagara  as  commander,  his  squadron 
would  be  in  great  danger  of  defeat.  He  therefore 
ordered  great  and  little  guns  to  be  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  frail  vessel,  laden  with  a  hero  of 
purest  mold.  Cannon-balls,  grape,  canister,  and 
musket-shot  were  hurled  in  showers  toward  the 
little  boat  during  the  fifteen  minutes  that  it  was 
making  its  way  from  the  Lawrence  to  the  Niagara. 
The  oars  were  splintered,  bullets  traversed  the 
boat,  and  the  crew  were  covered  with  the  spray 
caused  by  the  falling  of  heavy  round  and  grape 
shot  in  the  water  near. 


PERRY  AND  LAKE  ERIE.  185 

12.  "Perry  stood  erect,  unmindful  of  danger. 
His  men  entreated  him  to  be  seated.     At  length, 
when  his  oarsmen  threatened  to  cease  labor  if  he 
did  not  sit  down,  he  consented  to  do  so.     A  few 
minutes  later  they  were  all  climbing  to  the  deck 
of  the  Niagara,  entirely  unharmed,  and  greeted 
with  the  loud  cheers  of  the  Americans,  who  had 
watched  the  movement  with  breathless  anxiety. 
Perry^was  met  at  the  gangway  by  the  astonished 
Elliott.      There  were  hurried   questions  and  an 
swers.    '  How  goes  the  day  ? '  asked  Elliott.    t  Bad 
enough,'   responded   Periy ;    '  why  are   the   gun 
boats  so  far  astern  ? '    '  I'll  bring  them  up,'  said 
Elliott.     t  Do  so,'  responded  Perry.     He  immedi 
ately  ran  up  his  pennant,  displayed  the  blue  ban 
ner,  hoisted  the  signal  for  close  action,  and  re 
ceived  quick  responses  and  cheers  from  the  whole 
squadron. 

13.  "Perry's   movement    against    the    British 
line  was  successful.     He  broke  it ;  passed  at  half 
pistol-shot  distance  the  ships  of  the  enemy,  and 
poured  in  tremendous  broadsides  right  and  left 
from  double-shotted  guns.      He  rounded -to  and 
raked  the  Detroit  and   Queen  Charlotte,   which 
had  got  foul  of  each  other.    Close  and  deadly  was 
his  fire  upon  them  with  great  guns  and  musketry. 
The  fight  was  terrible  for  a  few  moments,  and  the 
combatants  were  completely  enveloped  in  smoke. 


186  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the 
flag  of  the  Detroit  was  lowered.  The  roar  of  can 
non  ceased ;  and,  as  the  blue  vapor  of  battle  was 
borne  away  by  the  breeze,  it  was  discovered  that 
the  two  squadrons  were  intermingled.  The  vic 
tory  was  complete.  The  flag  of  the  Lawrence 
had  indeed  been  struck  to  the  enemy,  but  she 
had  not  been  taken  possession  of.  She  was  yet 
free,  and,  with  a  feeble  shout  that  floated  not  far 
over  the  waters,  her  exhausted  crew  flung  out  the 
flag  of  their  country  from  her  mast-head. 

14.  "This  triumph  was  a  remarkable  one  in 
American  and  British  history.  Never  before  had 
an  American  fleet  or  squadron  encountered  an 
enemy  in  regular  line  of  battle,  and  never  before, 
since  England  created  a  navy  and  boasted  that 

<  Britannia  rules  the  wave/ 

had  a  whole  British  squadron  been  captured.  It 
was  a  proud  moment  for  Perry  and  his  compan 
ions.  When  Perry's  eye  perceived  at  a  glance- 
that  victory  was  secure,  he  wrote,  in  pencil,  on 
the  back  of  an  old  letter,  resting  it  upon  his  navy 
cap,  that  remarkable  dispatch  to  General  Harrison 
whose  first  clause  has  been  so  often  quoted,  '  We 
have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours ! ' : 


TEE  STAR-SPANGLED  BANNER.  187 

XXXIV. 
THE    STAR-SPANGLED    BANNER. 

1.  DUEING  the  War  of  1812,  and  one  year  after 
the  battle  of  Lake  Erie,  occurred  the  attack  upon 
Fort  McHeniy  at  Baltimore.     While  movements 
were  in  operation  on  land,  the  British  fleet  was 
preparing  to  perform  a   conspicuous  part  in  the 
drama.     Frigates,  schooners,  and   sloops   had  en 
tered  the  Patapsco  early  on  the  morning  of  the 
12th  and  anchored  off  Fort  McHeury,  beyond  the 
reach  of  its  guns.     During  the  night  of  the  12th, 
the  fleet  made  full  preparations  for  an  attack  on 
the  fort  on  the  morning  of  the  13th.     Fort  Me- 
Henry  was  commanded  by  a  brave  soldier,  and  de 
fended  by  gallant  companions. 

2.  The  bombardment  from  the  vessels  was  con 
tinued  until  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the 
14th,  when  it  ceased  entirely.    The  night  had  been 
passed  in  the  greatest  anxiety  by  the  inhabitants 
of    Baltimore,   for    in    the   maintenance   of    Fort 
McHeniy  was  their  chief  hope  for  the  safety  of 
the  city.    An  incident  which  occurred  at  that  time 
gave  birth  to  one  of  the  most  popular  of  our  na 
tional  songs, "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  in  which 
that   anxiety   is  graphically   expressed.      It   was 
written  by  Francis  S.  Key,  who  was  a  resident  of 


188 


STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


Georgetown,  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  then 
a  volunteer  in  the  light  artillery  commanded  by 

Major  Peter. 

3.  Under  a  flag  of  truce 
Mr.  Key  had  been  sent,  in 
company  with  General  J.  S. 
Skinner,  to  seek  the  release 
of  Dr.  Beames,  whom  the 
British  held  as  a  prisoner. 
The  commander  agreed  to 
release  Beames,  but  Key  and 
his  party  were  not  permitted 
to  return  just  then,  lest  the 


intended  bombardment  of  Baltimore  should  be 
disclosed.  They  were,  therefore,  brought  up  the 
bay  to  the  mouth  of  the  Patapsco,  and  placed  on 


THE  STAR-SPANGLED  BANNER.  189 

board  the  ship  Minden,  under  the  guns  of  the  frig 
ate,  where  they  were  compelled  to  witness  the  ac 
tion  against  Fort  McHenry,  which  the  admiral  had 
boasted  he  would  carry  in  a  few  hours.  Key  watch 
ed  the  flag  that  floated  over  the  fort  through  the 
day  with  an  anxiety  that  absorbed  every  other  emo 
tion,  until  the  gathering  darkness  threw  its  mantle 
over  the  scene.  In  the  night  the  bursting  bombs 
still  spoke  of  successful  resistance,  and  at  early  dawn 
his  eye  was  again  greeted  by  the  flag  of  his  country. 
4.  It  was  under  these  circumstances  that  he 
composed  "  The  Star-Spangled  Banner,"  descriptive 
of  the  scenes  of  that  doubtful  night,  and  of  his  own 
excited  feelings.  As  the  struggle  ceases,  upon  the 
coming  morn,  uncertain  of  the  result,  his  eye  seeks 
for  the  banner  of  his  hope,  and  he  asks  in  doubt : 

5.  Oh,  say,  can  you  see  by  the  dawn's  early  light 
What  so  proudly  we  hailed  at  the  twilight's 

last  gleaming— 
Whose  broad  stripes  and  bright  stars  through 

the  perilous  fight, 

O'er  the  ramparts  we  watched,  were  so  gal 
lantly  streaming  ? 

And  the  rocket's  red  glare,  the  bombs  burst 
ing  in  air, 

Gave  proof  through  the  night  that   cur  flag 
was  still  there  ! 


190  STGLIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

Oh,  say,   does  that  star-spangled   banner  yet 

wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and   the  home   of 

the  brave  ? 

6.  And  then,  as  through  the  mists  is  dimly 
seen  the  stripes  and  stars  fluttering  in  the  first 
rays  of  the  morning  sun,  he  triumphantly  ex 
claims  : 

7.  On  that  shore  dimly  seen  through  the  mists  of 

the  deep, 

Where  the  foe's  haughty  host  in  dread  si 
lence  reposes, 

What  is  that  which  the  breeze,  o'er  the  tower- 

ing  steep, 

As  it  fitfully  blows,  half  conceals,  half  dis 
closes  ? 

Now  it  catches   the   gleam  of  the  morning's 
first  beam, 

In    full  glory   reflected,  now  shines    on    the 
stream ; 

'Tis  the  star-spangled  banner ;  oh,  long  may  it 
wave 

O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the   home   of 
the  brave  ! 

8.  The  next  two  stanzas  are  in  the  spirit  of 
true  prophecy  inspired  by  the  occasion : 


THE  STAR-SPANGLED  BANNER.  191 

9,  And  where  is  that  band  who  so  vauntingly 

swore 

That  the  havoc  of  war  and  the  battle's  con 
fusion 

A   home   and   a  country  would  leave  us  no 

more  ? 

Their  blood  has  washed  out  their  foul  foot 
steps'  pollution  ! 

No  refuge  could  save  the  hireling  and  slave 

From  the  terror  of  flight,  or  the  gloom  of  the 
grave ; 

And   the   star-spangled    banner    in    triumph 
doth  wave 

O'er   the  land   of  the  free  and  the  home  of 
the  brave ! 

10.  Oh,   thus    be   it    ever,    when    freemen   shall 

stand 
Between  their  loved  homes  and  the  war's 

desolation  ! 

Blest  with  victory  and  peace,  may  the  Heaven- 
rescued  land- 

Praise  the  Power  that  hath  made  and  pre 
served  us  a  nation  ! 
Then  conquer  we  must,  for  our   cause    it   is 

just, 

And    this    be    our    motto,   "In  God   is    our 
trust ! " 


192  STORIES  OF  OUk    COUNTRY. 

And    the    star-spangled    banner    in    triumph 

shall  wave 
O'er  the  land   of  the  free  and  the  home  of 

the  brave ! 


xxxv. 
BATTLE    OF    NEW    ORLEANS. 

1.  THE  War  of  1812  lasted  about  three  years. 
During  the  year  1814,  the  British  army  captured 
and   plundered   many   towns  and    cities    on    the 
Southern  coast,  burned  the  Capitol  and  the  Presi 
dent's  house  at  Washington,  and  attacked  New 
Orleans.     General  Andrew  Jackson  defended  the 
city  with  a  much  smaller  force  than  that  which 
made  the  attack.     He  fortified  the  city  with  breast 
works    built    of    cotton-bales,    and   from    behind 
them  repulsed  the  British  army  of  twelve  thou 
sand,  with  a  loss  of  but  eight  Americans  killed. 
This  was  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  and  was  fought 
January  8,  1815.     The  treaty  of  peace  had  been 
signed  December  24,  1814,  but  the  news  of  it  had 
not  yet  reached  the  contending  armies. 

2.  At  one    o'clock    on   the    morning   of    this 
memorable  day,   on  a  couch   in   a   room    of   the 


BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS.  193 

McCarty  mansion-house,  General  Jackson  lay  asleep 
in  his  worn  uniform.  Several  of  his  aides  slept 
on  the  floor  in  the  same  apartment,  all  equipped 
for  the  field,  except  that  their  sword-belts  were 
unbuckled,  and  their  swords  and  pistols  laid  aside. 
Sentinels  moved  noiselessly  about  the  building, 
which  loomed  up  large,  dim,  and  silent  in  the  foggy 
night,  among  the  darkening  trees,  Most  of  those 
who  slept  at  all  that  night  were  still  asleep,  and 
there  was  as  yet  little  stir  in  either  camp  to  dis 
turb  their  slumbers. 

3.  Dreaming     of     their     Scottish    hills     and 
homes,  their  English  fields  and  friends,  may  have 
been  many  brave  Britons  in  their  cold   and  wet 
bivouac.      O    tardy  Science,    O    Morse,  O  Cyrus 
Field,  why  were  you  not  ready  with  your  oceanic 
telegraph  then,  to  tell  those  men  of  both  armies 
when  they  awoke  that  they  were  not  enemies,  but 
friends  and  brothers,  and  send  them  joyful  into 
one  another's   arms  ?      The    ship    that    bore   the 
blessed  news  of  peace  was  still  in  mid-ocean,  con 
tending  with  its  wintry  winds  and  waves.     How 
much  would  have  gone  differently  in  our  history 
if  those  tidings  had  arrived  a  few  weeks  sooner  ! 

4.  Jackson  looked  at  his  watch.     It  was  past 
one.     "  Gentlemen,"  said  he  to  his  dozing  aides, 
"we  have  slept  enough.     Rise.     The  enemy  will 
be  upon  us  in  a  few  minutes !     I  must  go  and 


194  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

see  Coffee."  The  order  was  obeyed  promptly. 
Sword-belts  were  buckled,  pistols  resumed,  and 
in  a  few  minutes  the  party  were  ready  to  begin 
the  duties  of  the  day.  There  was  little  for  the 
American  troops  to  do  but  to  repair  to  their  posts. 
By  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  along  the  whole 
line  of  works,  every  man-  was  in  his  place,  and 
everything  was  ready. 

5.  The  Mississippi  was  not  visible,  its  waters 
being  covered  with  fog;  nor  was  there  a  single 
soldier,  save  our  own  little  phalanx,   to  be  seen, 
or  the  tramp  of  a  horse  or  a  single  footstep  to 
be  heard,  by  way  of  announcing  that  the  battle- 
scene  was  about  to  begin.     And  the  only  words 
which  now  escaped  the  officers  were  "  Steady,  men ; 
steady,  men  !  "     These  warnings  were  quite  unne 
cessary,  as  every  soldier  was,  as  it  were,  transfixed 
like  fox-hunters,  waiting  with  breathless  expecta 
tion,  and  casting  significant  looks  one  at  the  other 
before  Reynard  breaks  cover. 

6.  The    suspense    was   soon   over.      Daylight 
struggled   through  the  mist.     About  six    o'clock 
the  head  of  the  army  was  advancing  at  the  steady, 
solid  British  pace    to    the  attack.      The    column 
soon  came  up  with  the  American  outposts,  who  at 
first  retreated  slowly  before  it,  but  soon  quickened 
their  pace  and  ran  in,  bearing  their  great   news, 
and  putting  every  man  in  the  works  intensely  on 


BATTLE  OF  NEW   ORLEANS.  195 

the  alert ;  each  commander  anxious  for  the  honor 
of  first  getting  a  glimpse  of  the  foe,  and  opening 
fire  upon  him. 

7.  Lieutenant  Spotts  was  the  first  man  in  the 
American  lines  who  descried  through  the  fog  the 
dim  red  line  of  General  Gibbs,  the  British  com 
mander's  advancing  column,  far  down  the  plain, 
close  to  the  forest.     The  thunder  of  his  great  guns 
broke  the  stillness.     Then  there  was  silence  again. 
The  fog  lifted  and  soon  revealed  both  divisions, 
which  seemed  to  cover  two  thirds  of  the  plain. 
Three  cheers  from   Carroll's   men ;    three   cheers 
from  the  Kentuckians  behind  them  ! 

8.  Steadily  and   fast   the    column  of  General 
Gibbs    marched   toward  the  American  batteries. 
Astheyneared  the  lines,  the  well- aimed  shot  made 
more  dreadful    havoc,  cutting  great  lanes  in  the 
column  from  front  to  rear,  and   tossing  men  aloft 
or  hurling  them  far  on  one  side.     At  length,  still 
steady  and  unbroken,  they  came  within  range  of 
the   small-arms,  the  rifles  of  Carroll's   Tennessee- 
ans,   the   muskets  of  Adams's   Kentuckians,  four 
lines  of  sharp-shooters,  one  behind  the  other.    Gen 
eral  Carroll,  coolly  waiting  for  the  right  moment, 
held  his  guns  mute  till  the  enemy  were  within  two 
hundred  yards,  and  then  gave  the  word  "  Fire  !  " 

9.  At  first  with  a  certain  deliberation,  after 
ward  in  hottest  haste,  always  with  deadly  effect, 


196  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

the  riflemen  plied  their  terrible  weapon.  The 
noise  was  peculiar  and  altogether  indescribable — a 
rolling,  bursting,  echoing  noise,  never  to  be  forgot 
ten  by  a  man  that  heard  it.  Along  the  whole  line 
it  blazed  and  rolled,  the  British  batteries  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river  joining  in  the  hellish  con 
cert.  Imagine  it !  Ask  no  man  to  describe  it. 
Our  words  were  mostly  made  before  such  a  scene 
was  possible. 

10.  Brief  was  the  unequal  contest.      Colonel 
Rennie,  Captain  Henry,  Major  King,  three  only  of 
the  British  column,   reached  the  summit  of  the 
rampart  near  the  river's  edge.     "  Hurrah,  boys  ! " 
cried  Rennie,  already  wounded,  as  the  three  officers 
gained  the  breastwork — "hurrah,  boys!  the  day 
is  ours  !  "     At  that  moment,  Seal's  New  Orleans 
sharp-shooters,  withdrawing  a  few  paces  for  better 
aim,  fired  a  volley,  and  the  three  noble  soldiers  fell 
headlong  into  the  ditch. 

11.  A  pleasant  story  connected  with  the  ad 
vance  of  Colonel  Rennie's  column  is  related.     As 
the  detachments  along  the  road  advanced,  their 
bugler,  a  boy  of  fourteen  or   fifteen,  climbing  a 
small  tree  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  Ameri 
can  lines,  straddled  a  limb,  and  continued  to  blow 
the  charge  with  all  his  power. 

12.  There  he  remained  during  the  whole  ac 
tion,  while   the  cannon-balls  and  bullets  plowed 


BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS.  197 

the  ground  around  him,  killed  scores  of  men,  and 
tore  even  the  branches  of  the  tree  in  which  he 
sat.  At  last,  when  the  British  had  entirely  aban 
doned  the  ground,  an  American  soldier,  passing 
from  the  lines,  captured  the  little  bugler  and 
brought  him  into  camp.  Here  he  was  greatly  as 
tonished  when  some  of  the  enthusiastic  Creoles, 
who  had  observed  his  gallantry,  actually  embraced 
him,  and  officers  and  men  vied  with  each  other  in 
acts  of  kindness  to  so  gallant  a  little  soldier. 

13.  How  long  a  time,  does  the  reader  think, 
elapsed  between  the  fire  of  the  first  American  gun 
and   the   total   rout    of    the    attacking    column? 
Twenty -five   minutes !      Xot   that   the   American 
fire  ceased,  or  even  slackened,  at  the  end  of  that 
period  ;  but  in  the  space  of  twenty -five  minutes 
the  discomfiture  of  the  enemy  in  the  open  field 
was  complete.      The  scene  behind  the  American 
works  during  the  fire  can  be  easily  imagined.    The 
batteries  alone  at  the  center  of  the   works,  con 
tributed  anything  to  the  fortunes  of  the  day. 

14.  When  the  action  began,  Jackson   walked 
along  the  left  of  the  lines,  speaking  a  few  words 
of  good  cheer  to  the  men  as  he  passed  the  several 
corps  :  "  Stand  to  your  guns.     Don't  waste  your 
ammunition  !     See  that  every  shot  tells  !     Give  it 
to  them,  boys  !  Let  us  finish  the  business  to-day ! " 
Such  words  as  these  escaped  him  now  and  then ; 


198  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

the  men  not  engaged  cheering  him  as  he  went  by. 
At  eight  o'clock,  there  being  no  signs  of  a  re 
newed  attack,  and  no  enemy  in  sight,  an  order 
was  sent  along  the  lines  to  cease  firing  with  the 
small-arms. 

15.  The   whole   army  crossed  to  the  parapet, 
and  looked  over  into  the  field.     What  a  scene  was 
gradually  disclosed  to  them  !    The  plain  was  cov 
ered  and  heaped  with  dead  and  wounded,  as  well 
as  with  those  who  had  fallen  paralyzed  by  fear 
alone.     "  I  never  had,"  Jackson  said,   "  so  grand 
and  awful  an  idea  of  the  resurrection  as  on  that 
day.     After  the  smoke  of  battle  had  cleared  off, 
I  saw  more  than  five  hundred  Britons  emerging 
from  the  heaps  of  their  dead  comrades  and  com 
ing  forward  and  surrendering  as  prisoners  of  war. 
They  had  fallen  at  our  first  fire  upon  them,  with 
out  having  received  so  much  as  a  scratch,  and  lay 
prostrate,  as  if  dead,  until  the  close  of  the  action." 

16.  The  American  army,  to  their  credit  be  it 
said,  were  appalled  and  silenced  at  the  scene  be 
fore  them.     Seven  hundred  killed,  fourteen  hun 
dred  wounded,  five  hundred  prisoners,  were  the 
dread  result  of   that    twenty-five  minutes'  work. 
Jackson's  loss,  as  all  the  world  knows,  was  eight 
killed  and  thirteen  wounded. 

Parton. 


BUENA    VISTA.  199 

XXXVII. 
BUENA   VISTA. 

1.  SOON  after  Texas  was  admitted   into   the 
Union,  a  war  broke  out  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico.     The  United   States  claimed  Texas 
as  an  independent  country,  while  Mexico  regarded 
it  as  a  revolted   State.     A  United  States  army, 
under  General  Taylor,  took  possession  of  the  dis 
puted  territory,  and  this  led  to  collisions  with  the 
Mexican  forces,  and  soon  after  to  a  declaration  of 
war.     Then  General  Taylor  was  ordered  to  ad 
vance  across  the  Rio  Grande  into  the  Mexican  ter 
ritory.     With  a  small   force  not   exceeding   five 
thousand  men,  he  crossed  the  river  and  drove  away 
the  Mexican  army  sent  to  oppose  him,  and  took 
up  his  line  of  march  for  the  important   city  of 
Monterey.     This  place  contained  ten  thousand  in 
habitants,  and  was  held  by  a  Mexican  force  of  ten 
thousand  men.    "With  his  little  army  Taylor  boldly 
advanced  to  the  attack,  and  for  three  clays  the 
battle  lasted,  the  Mexicans  fighting  bravely  from 
street  to  street.     At  last  the  determined  valor  of 
the  Northern  soldiers  won,  and  the  Mexicans  were 
forced  to  capitulate. 

2.  Taylor  remained  at  Monterey  from  Novem 
ber  to  February,  hoping  that,  with  the  fall  of  the 


200  STORIES   OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

city,  tlie  war  would  terminate.  But,  at  the  end 
of  that  time,  he  was  again  ordered  to  advance. 
His  army  now  numbered  in  all  only  five  thousand 
men,  and  with  this  small  force  he  marched  into 
the  heart  of  a  country  of  eight  million  inhabit 
ants.  In  his  advance  he  was  obliged  to  traverse 
narrow  passes  in  the  mountains  to  reach  the  plains 
above ;  and,  after  a  toilsome  march,  he  found  him 
self  face  to  face  with  the  Mexican  general,  Santa 
Anna,  at  the  head  of  an  army  of  twenty  thousand 
men. 

3.  Knowing  the  disparity  of  forces,  General 
Taylor  immediately  took  position  in  the  pass  of 
Buena  Vista,  where  he  awaited  the  movement  of 
the  Mexicans.  The  high,  steep  ridges  and  the 
deep  ravines  of  the  pass  were  unfavorable  to  the 
successful  movement  of  a  large  body  of  men,  and 
Santa  Anna  found  that  it  was  impossible  for  him 
to  use  all  his  force  to  the  best  advantage.  Here 
the  battle  took  place  on  the  22d  and  23d  of  Feb 
ruary,  1847.  The  charge  of  the  Mexicans  upon 
the  American  lines  was  strong  and  courageous, 
and  for  a  time  was  successful.  The  Americans 
were  driven  back,  and  the  retreat  would  have  been 
turned  into  a  rout  had  it  not  been  for  the  fine  dis 
cipline  of  the  men  and  the  obstinate  valor  of  Gen 
eral  Taylor,  who  would  not  believe  that  he  could 
be  beaten. 


BUENA    VISTA.  201 

4.  The  cavalry  of  the  Americans  did  most  ef 
ficient  service,  and  the  Mexicans  were  perfectly 
amazed  to  witness  the  quickness  of  movement  and 
rapidity  of  firing  of  the  American  light  artillery. 
A    battery  would    be  in  place,   and,   before   the 
smoke  of  a  discharge  had  blown  away,  it  was  seen 
in  full  gallop  to  another  part  of  the  field,  where 
it  could  perform  more  deadly  service. 

5.  Toward  the  close  of  the  afternoon  of  the 
second   day,  the   Mexican  attacks   became   more 
feeble,    and   at   last   ceased    altogether.     General 
Taylor    disposed    his    forces  so  as    to  renew  the 
battle  the  next  morning ;  but  it  was  found  that 
in  the  night  Santa  Anna  had  retreated,  leaving 
his  camp  and  wounded  in  the  hands  of  the  victors. 
The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  conflict  was  six 
hundred  and  forty-six,  and  that  of  the  Mexicans 
two  thousand.     Upon   the  retreat  many  of   the 
Mexicans  deserted,  and  Santa  Anna  reached  his 
capital  fleeing  before  an  invading    force  of   five 
thousand,  with  a  loss  of  upward  of  ten  thousand, 
or  more  than  half  his  army.     The  success  of  Gen 
eral  Taylor  brought  his  name  before  the  public, 
and   in    1848    he   was   elected    President   of   the 
United    States.      An   incident    in   the    battle   of 
Buena  Vista  gave  rise  to  Whittier's  fine  poem, 
which  follows : 


202  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 


THE    ANGELS   OF    BUENA    VISTA. 

6.  Speak  and  tell  us,  our  Ximena,  looking  northward 

far  away, 
O'er  the  camp   of  the  invaders,   o'er   the  Mexican 

array, 
Who  is  losing?     Who  is  winning?     Are  they  far, 

or  come  they  near? 
Look  abroad,  and  tell  us,  sister,  whither  rolls  the 

storm  we  hear? 

7.  "  Down  the  hills  of  Angostura   still   the  storm   of 

battle  rolls ; 
Blood  is  flowing,  men  are  dying;  God  have  mercy 

on  their  souls !  " 
Who  is  losing?     Who  is  winning?     "  Over  hill  and 

over  plain 
I  see  but  smoke  of  cannon   clouding  through  the 

mountain  rain." 

8.  Holy  Mother !  keep  our  brothers !     Look,  Ximena, 

look  once  more ! 
"  Still  I  see  the  fearful  whirlwind  rolling  darkly  as 

before — 
Bearing  on,  in  strange  confusion,  friend  and  foeman, 

man  and  horse, 
Like  some  wild  and  troubled  torrent  sweeping  down 

its  mountain  course  !  " 

9.  Look  forth  once  more,  Ximena !     "  Ah !  the  smoke 

has  rolled  away, 


BUENA    VISTA.  203 

And  I  see  the  Northern  rifles  gleaming  down  the 

ranks  of  gray. 
Hark  !  that  sudden  blast  of  bugles  !    There  the  troop 

of  Minon  wheels ! 
There  the  Northern  horses  thunder,  with  the  cannon 

at  their  heels. 

10.  "  Jesu,  pity !    how  it  thickens !      Now  retreat  and 

now  advance ! 
Right  against  the  blazing  cannon  shivers  Puebla's 

charging  lance ! 
Down  they  go,  the  brave  young  riders,  horse  and 

foot  together  fall ; 
Like  a  plowshare  in  the  fallow,  through  them  plows 

the  Northern  ball !  " 

11.  Nearer  comes  the  storm  and  nearer,  rolling  fast  and 

frightful  on. 
Speak,  Ximena,  speak  and  tell  us,  who  has  lost,  and 

who  has  won  ? 
"  Alas !  alas !  I  know  not ;  friend  and  foe  together 

fall: 
O'er  the  dying  rush  the  living ;  pray,  my  sisters,  for 

them  all ! 

12.  u  Lo  !  the  wind  the  smoke  is  lifting  ;  blessed  Mother, 

save  my  brain  ! 
I  can  see  the  wounded  crawling  slowly  out  from 

heaps  of  slain ! 
Now  they   stagger,  blind   and  bleeding ;  now  they 

fall,  and  strive  to  rise ; 
Hasten,  sisters,  haste  and  save  them,  lest  they  die 

before  our  eyes ! 


204  STORIES  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

13.  "  Oh,  my  heart's  love !     Oh,  my  dear  one,  lay  thy 

poor  head  on  my  knee ! 
Dost  thou  know  the  lips  that  kiss  thee  ?     Canst  thou 

hear  me  ?     Canst  thou  see  ? 
Oil,  my  husband,  brave  and  gentle !     Oh,  my  Ber- 

nal !  look  once  more 
On  the  blessed  cross  before  thee  !     Mercy  !  mercy  ! 

all  is  o'er  !  " 

14.  Dry  thy  tears,  my  poor  Ximena ;  lay  thy  dear  one 

down  to  rest ; 
Let  his  hands  be  meekly  folded,  lay  the  cross  upon 

his  breast ; 
Let   his   dirge   be   sung   hereafter,   and  his  funeral 

masses  said : 
To-day,  thou  poor,  bereaved  one,  the  living  ask  thy 

aid. 

15.  Close  beside  her,  faintly  moaning,  fair  and  young,  a 

soldier  lay, 

Torn  with  shot  and  pierced  with  lances,  bleeding 
slow  his  life  away  ; 

.But,  as  tenderly  before  him  the  lorn  Ximena 
knelt, 

She  saw  the  Northern  eagle  shining  on  his  pistol- 
belt. 

16.  With  a  stifled  cry  of  horror  straight  she  turned  away 

her  head, 

With  a  sad  and  bitter  feeling  looked  she  back  upon 
her  dead ; 


BUENA    VISTA.  205 

But   she   heard  the  youth's  low  moaning,  and  his 

struggling  breath  of  pain, 
And  she  raised  the  cooling  water  to  his  parching  lips 

again. 

17.  Whispered  low  the  dying  soldier,  pressed  her  hand 

and  faintly  smiled. 

Was  that  pitying  face  his  mother's  ?  did  she  watch 
beside  her  child  ? 

All  his  stranger  words  with  meaning  her  woman's 
heart  supplied ; 

With  her  kiss  upon  his  forehead,  "  Mother ! "  mur 
mured  he,  and  died. 

18.  "A  bitter  curse  upon  them,  poor  boy,  who  led  tliee 

forth, 
From  some  gentle,  sad-eyed  mother,  weeping  lonely 

in  the  North  !  " 
Spake  the  mournful  Mexic  woman,  as  she  laid  him 

with  her  dead, 
And   turned   to   soothe    the   living,    and    bind    the 

wounds  that  bled. 

19.  Look  forth  once  more,  Ximena !    "  Like  a  cloud  be 

fore  the  wind 
Rolls  the  battle  down  the  mountains,  leaving  blood 

and  death  behind  ; 
Ah !  they  plead  in  vain  for  mercy ;  in  the  dust  the 

wounded  strive. 
Hide  your  faces,  holy  angels!     O  thou  Christ  of 

God,  forgive !" 


206  STORILS  OF  OUR   COUNTRY. 

20.  Sink,  O  Night,  among  the  mountains !  let  the  cool, 

gray  shadows  fall; 
Dying  brothers,  lighting  demons,  drop  thy  curtain 

over  all. 
Through  the  thickening  winter  twilight,  wide  apart 

the  battle  rolled. 
In  the  sheath  the  saber  rested,  and  the  cannon's  lips 

grew  cold. 

21.  But  the  noble  Mexic  women  still  their  holy  task  pur 

sued 
Through  that  long,  dark  night  of  sorrow,  worn  and 

faint  and  lacking  food  ; 
Over  weak  and  suffering  brothers  with  a  tender  care 

they  hung, 
And  the  dying  foemen  blessed  them  in  a  strange  and 

Northern  tongue. 

22.  Not  wholly  lost,   O   Father !   is  this  evil  world  of 

ours ; 
Upward,  through  its  blood  and  ashes,  spring  afresh 

the  Eden  flowers ; 
From  its  smoking  hell  of  battle,  Love  and  Pity  send 

their  prayer, 
And  still  thy  white-robed  angels  hover  dimly  in  our 

air ! 


f  y 

OF    THK 

THE  ENDf  UNIVERSITY 

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